West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill advances as gov’t okays NIS 250M heritage plan

Knesset committee working to finish controversial legislation, which critics say would mark an unprecedented step toward annexation, for final votes in the plenum on Sunday

The government on Wednesday approved a NIS 250 million plan for the preservation and development of heritage and archaeological sites in the West Bank, as coalition members continued holding marathon sessions in the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee to prepare a controversial bill seeking to extend Israeli civilian control over antiquities in the West Bank and Gaza for its final votes.

According to a joint statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance, Tourism, Heritage, and Settlement ministries, the plan includes the establishment of new heritage centers and tourism infrastructure, as well as funding for efforts to combat looting and vandalism.

“In the year in which we will mark 60 years since the liberation of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, the heart of our homeland, the government of Israel is making a decision of the highest national and historical importance,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

“Today we are investing in preserving our past in order to secure our future, strengthen our hold on the Land of Israel, and pass on to future generations the heritage, identity and historical truth of our people,” he added.

Asked whether there was a connection between the plan and the new legislation, a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office told The Times of Israel that he did not know.

The bill aims to establish a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority” under the Heritage Ministry. The body is also set to have the power to operate in parts of the West Bank governed by the Palestinian Authority (Areas A and B).

The committee intends to finish preparing the bill for the final plenum readings on Sunday. After that, the plenum could vote the proposal into law as early as Monday.

However, it is also possible that if legislation to dissolve the Knesset that was advanced Tuesday is fast-tracked to be passed into law next week, the antiquities bill will not be put up for final votes in the plenum.

If approved in its current form, the legislation will change the decades-long status quo in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, marking the first time a civilian body will assume responsibilities currently held by the Defense Ministry and directly affecting the Palestinians living there, although it is not clear how it would be applied in war-torn Gaza.

Critics of the bill say that it represents an unprecedented step toward annexation. Supporters of the bill also say that the legislation is about extending Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza.

During the committee, a representative of the army declared that the Israel Defense Forces is against the bill.

“The IDF opposes the direct application of this law to the Gaza Strip,” said Maj. Marta Kramenko, head of the Infrastructure, Economics and Personnel Section in the Legal Adviser for Judea and Samaria during Wednesday’s committee meeting.

“The application of Israeli legislation on territory that is not in Israeli hands, and in particular the granting of administrative powers, management, supervision, enforcement, expropriation or collection of fees to a civilian Israeli body in relation to assets and sites located in the Strip could harm the status of the relevant military and security elements, create significant security and professional complexities for them, and be seen in the international arena as a step with characteristics of de facto annexation,” she added.

Kramenko also emphasized that the bill conflicts US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

She reiterated that the army opposes the application of the law in the West Bank, as it would supersede military legislation that governs the whole area.

The person currently responsible for the antiquities is now a staff officer of the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is responsible for civilian affairs in the West Bank.

Attorney Ayala Roash, from the legal office at the Defense Ministry, also warned the committee of the legal difficulties the bill raises.

“In essence, this proposal removes the authority of the military commander, taking away his powers,” she said. “This is essentially a contradiction of the paradigm according to which Israel manages the territories of the region.”

While the vast majority of archaeologists agree that antiquities in the West Bank have been significantly impacted by looting, vandalism and neglect, the bill has faced backlash from the outset.

Many archaeologists say the new system would not help care for the antiquities, in light of the complexity of the area, but would rather further expose Israeli academics to boycotts and cuts to international funding. Others pointed out how, according to prevalent interpretations of international law, Israel is not allowed to conduct academic excavations in the disputed areas, but only salvage excavations.

Many also charge the coalition with using the field of antiquities to advance annexation without explicitly labeling it as such.

The bill’s supporters openly stated that changing the status quo was precisely their goal.

“In my opinion, it is a terrible disgrace that the State of Israel has not applied Israeli law in Judea and Samaria for so many years,” said committee chair Zvi Sukkot of Religious Zionism. “I was elected to fix this, among other things.”

“I would be happy to be the first committee chairman to legislate a law concerning the Gaza Strip as well as Judea and Samaria, and make this history,” he added.

Asked whether the new plan concerning heritage sites in the West Bank was connected to the legislative effort and whether the budget would be used to establish the new heritage authority as stated in some Hebrew media reports, a Heritage Ministry spokesperson told The Times of Israel that was not the case.