The body of John the Baptist is believed to be buried beneath the picturesque center of the Ottoman-era village of Sebastia. In the Bible, he is said to have baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, east of Sebastia.
He was reportedly beheaded by the Roman-appointed King Herod I, who had ruled Palestine since 37 BC, and his head was buried in Damascus.
The Israeli government, however, focuses on Sebastia as the reported location of the capital of the Kingdom of Israel during the First Temple Period (about 1200 to 586 BC).
The importance that Israel gives to the site can be seen on the border between the Sebastia archaeological park and the village of Sebastia itself.
The second Oslo Agreement in 1995 divided the Palestinian West Bank into three areas, with about two-thirds in Area C under full Israeli administration and control, including the Sebastia archaeological park.
The rest of Sebastia is in Area B under Palestinian control, although Israel still controls security.
Mayor Azem said that the conservation of historic sites in Sebastia has always caused conflict between Palestinians and their occupants who want to “Judaize the place”.
Last year, the Israeli government announced around 30 million shekels (more than US$8 million) for the restoration of the archaeological park. Recently, senior Israeli government ministers, including Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman and far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, visited the site.
Azem fears that when the war in Gaza ends, the Israeli government will reactivate the scheme.
“When Sebastia is mentioned, Israel’s extremist government is convinced, or politicians are trying to convince themselves, that the history of the place belongs to the Jewish people.
“And that’s why they prepared a budget… under the pretext of restoring the archaeological area and protecting it, but in reality they want Sebastia to be transformed into an exclusively Jewish site.”
Al Jazeera made inquiries to Israeli authorities about the allegations made by Azem and others in this article, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Palestinian efforts to work at the site have often been delayed, Azem said, with the municipality unable to excavate, work on the ruins or even clean the site without aggression and intimidation from the military.
“All these things lead to a… fear of visiting as a result of the pressure exerted by the occupation through the army and settlers,” Azem said.
“They are doing [this] to scare us, trying to expel us from our homes and lands to empty them for the settlers.”
The Sebastia archaeological park has been under the control of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority since 1978. The Yesha Council, which oversees all Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, has its headquarters in Shavei Shomron. Azem says this only emphasizes Israel’s intention to control the village and its historic sites.
Tour guide, archaeologist and villager Suhaib Huwwari said the settlers were guilty of “crimes against history” and that the village was unable to stop artefacts from being looted. Some settlers, he said, have artifacts from the archaeological park on display in their homes.
“We talked to UNESCO and gave them information about the Israeli project and asked for protection, but ultimately Israel does not care about international criticism,” Azem said.
Al Jazeera contacted UNESCO about these allegations to ask whether there has been progress in registering Sebastia as a World Heritage Site and whether UNESCO condemns the violence in the village.
A UNESCO spokesperson did not comment on the behavior of Israeli settlers and military personnel at Sebastia and said the body had not received a request from Palestine for full World Heritage status.
In Sebastia itself, says Azem, life changed after the two “catastrophes” – first, the assassination of Fawzi and, second, Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.
“Clear [Fawzi’s killing] left a big impact,” he said. “People are scared – parents are scared… When soldiers invade Sebastia, parents try to take their children back to their homes.”
“[And] Since October 7th, the army has killed without any responsibility. We see the massacres in Gaza every day and no one cares. [It’s the] the same here in Sebastia. When they arrive in the village to kill and shoot, (…) there is no accountability.
“But we will not give up our home or the history of Palestine.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
