RAMALLAH, July 5 — A Palestinian official on Sunday accused Israel of advancing a plan to take control of more than 3,750 archaeological sites in the West Bank, describing it as part of a broader policy to tighten Israeli control over heritage locations and support settlement expansion.
Saleh Tawafsha, Palestinian deputy minister of tourism and antiquities, told the official Voice of Palestine radio that Israeli settlement organizations, with government backing, are seeking to transfer the management of the sites to settlers, who have expanded their presence by establishing new outposts near several of the locations.
Most of the targeted sites lie in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli security and administrative control under the Oslo Accords, Tawafsha added.
He said the measures are aimed at “erasing Palestinian historical and cultural identity and altering the historical character of archaeological and religious sites.”
Tawafsha described the archaeological sites as an integral part of the Palestinian cultural heritage, adding that his ministry is documenting what it described as Israeli violations against Palestinian heritage and submitting reports to relevant United Nations bodies.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli authorities on the allegations.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the West Bank contains about 7,000 archaeological sites, around 60 percent of which are located in Area C. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
