The Palestinian Authority has increased lobbying to have the historic archaeological site of Sebastia recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ahead of a debate in South Korea later this month, a move that the Foreign Ministry claimed on Wednesday is politically motivated and poses a threat to the ancient ruins.I've been following this story for a while, trying to work out what is going on. Both this Jerusalem Post article and the CNN article below have their own leaning, but both make an effort to present both sides. I blog, you decide.[...]
On this West Bank hilltop, a fight over the past will determine who controls the future (Tal Shalev, Jeremy Diamond, Zeena Saifi, CNN).
Over the past year, Israel has moved to seize roughly 500 acres of privately owned Palestinian land around the town of Sebastia, a small Palestinian hamlet with a rich archaeological site. The government allocated $10 million to develop the site into a tourist attraction.The Palestinian Authority, in turn, is racing to get Sebastia urgently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a bid the organization is debating this month in South Korea. Each side believes the land – and its past – belongs to them.
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