WEST BANK, (PIC)
The Israeli government on Wednesday approved a sweeping 250 million shekel plan aimed at expanding control over archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank, in a move widely viewed as using “heritage and archaeology” to advance annexation policies and strengthen Israeli control over Palestinian land.
The decision was announced in a joint statement issued by the offices of the Israeli prime minister and the ministries of finance, tourism, heritage, and settlement affairs, which described the initiative as “unprecedented.”
According to the statement, the plan includes preserving, restoring, and developing heritage and archaeological sites across the West Bank, the Jordan Valley, and the al-Khalil Desert, while improving public access to those locations.
The plan also calls for the establishment of new heritage centers, expansion of tourism infrastructure, and intensified measures to protect archaeological sites from what Israel described as “theft and destruction,” alongside efforts to “strengthen the connection of the Israeli public to the historical heritage of the Jewish people in the region.”
The statement added that the new heritage centers would serve as “major hubs for research, education, tourism, and community development,” featuring visitor centers, interactive exhibits, educational programs, and partnerships with academic and research institutions.
The initiative further includes a multi-year program to expand public tourism infrastructure in the area at a cost of tens of millions of shekels, to transform archaeological sites into “major tourist attractions in Israel.”
Israeli authorities also claimed the plan seeks to establish a “permanent and organized civilian and tourism presence” in those areas as a deterrent against alleged theft or destruction of antiquities, while reinforcing what they described as “the connection between the public and the historical identity of the region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the decision as having “great national and historical importance,” stating, “In the year we mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the West Bank and Jerusalem, the heart of our homeland, the Israeli government is making an important decision.”
Netanyahu added that “nearly every stone, hill, and heritage site carries thousands of years of Jewish history in the Land of Israel,” saying the investment is intended to “preserve the past, secure the future, and strengthen attachment to the Land of Israel.”
Palestinians said that Israeli authorities have increasingly used archaeology and heritage claims as political and legal tools to impose new realities on the ground by designating large areas as archaeological or heritage zones, thereby facilitating settlement expansion and obstructing any future Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.