The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities condemned the repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation authorities on Palestinian archaeological sites, especially the Sebastia site, west of Nablus.
The ministry said in a statement, on Thursday, that the occupation is working to destroy a tourist establishment in a land located near the Roman amphitheater, stealing the stones of the archaeological site and olive trees from it and cutting the road linking to the archaeological area, as well as cutting the water and electricity network that connects to this road, in addition to demolishing a room Antique.
And considered that this act is a new Israeli aggression against Palestinian cultural heritage sites, and a flagrant violation of international agreements and laws for the protection of cultural heritage during the occupation period, especially the principles relating to the protection of cultural heritage during the armed conflict of 1907, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, and the Hague Convention of 1954 for the protection of Cultural property during armed conflict, the 1972 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and the UNESCO International Declaration on the Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage by the Occupation of 2003.
The Ministry confirmed that these attacks constitute a threat to the Palestinian cultural heritage, which is part of the cultural identity of the Palestinian people and part of the human heritage, and its continued protection of cultural heritage using all available means to preserve these sites, as it is one of the most important elements of cultural identity, and one of the most important factors for economic development .
It called on all international institutions and organizations to condemn this attack, to put an end to the continuous Israeli violations and to force them to stop targeting Palestinian archaeological sites.
Sebastia is a Palestinian archeological town, which has great importance in terms of the monuments found there, and its components are considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Palestine.
