{"id":57757,"date":"2026-05-31T06:30:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/?p=57757"},"modified":"2026-05-31T06:32:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T03:32:05","slug":"heritage-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/heritage-authority","title":{"rendered":"The Knesset Advances Legislation to Establish a Heritage Authority in the West Bank, Annexing Archaeological Activity to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The establishment of the proposed Heritage Authority constitutes the most significant annexationist measure undertaken by the Israeli Knesset since the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967. The proposed legislation transfers responsibility for archaeology and antiquities sites from the Civil Administration to the Israeli Ministry of Heritage. The law is intended to apply throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including Areas A and B, while disregarding the Oslo Accords.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the month of May and in the coming week, the Knesset Education Committee, chaired by Zvi Sukkot, has been deliberating the proposed “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority Law<\/a>, 2026″. The purpose of the legislation is to establish a statutory body under the Ministry of Heritage that would be responsible for all aspects of excavation, preservation, supervision, and management of antiquities sites throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Heritage Authority would operate under the authority of the Minister of Heritage rather than the Civil Administration, effectively eliminating the need for the Archaeology Staff Officer, the archaeological body within the Civil Administration currently responsible for all archaeological activity in Area C.<\/p>\n

The proposed legislation establishes at least two major precedents:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. De facto annexation.<\/strong> The transfer of authority from the Civil Administration, which operates in the West Bank under military orders, to a civilian body governed by Israeli law constitutes an annexationist measure in every respect.<\/li>\n
  2. Application of Israeli authority throughout the West Bank and potentially Gaza strip.<\/strong> Applying the law to all areas of the West Bank, and possibly in the future to the Gaza Strip, would enable the Authority to operate in Areas A and B as well. According to the proposal, activity in Gaza would remain subject to military orders if and when such orders are issued. However, the clear intention is the erosion of the Oslo framework and the transfer of archaeological authority in Areas A and B from the Palestinian Authority to Israel.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Another potential effect on Palestinian land use and spatial planning:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Annexation of the Territories and the Erosion of the Civil Administration<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The proposed Heritage Authority Law effectively annexes all archaeological activity in the West Bank. Since the West Bank is not formally part of Israel, responsibility for administering civilian affairs currently lies with the Civil Administration, which operates under military authority. Establishing a Heritage Authority under the direct responsibility of the Minister of Heritage transfers responsibility for antiquities from the Civil Administration to the Israeli Ministry of Heritage.<\/p>\n

      A similar, though less far-reaching, process occurred in 2023 with the establishment of the Settlement Administration<\/a> under the Ministry of Defense and under the direct authority of Bezalel Smotrich in his capacity as an additional minister within the Defense Ministry. In the case of the Heritage Authority, however, the new body would not be situated within the Ministry of Defense but rather within the Ministry of Heritage. As a result, even the appearance of a connection to military governance in the West Bank would disappear. Moreover, unlike the Settlement Administration, which was established through coalition agreements, the Heritage Authority would operate pursuant to formal Knesset legislation. This could pave the way for the establishment of similar civilian authorities dealing with West Bank affairs, potentially rendering the Civil Administration increasingly obsolete.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Concerns Regarding Extensive Land Expropriation in the Name of Antiquities Protection<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The new authority would operate under legislation modeled on Israel\u2019s Antiquities Authority Law. Once established, it would possess powers to manage antiquities, conduct excavations, preserve and supervise archaeological sites, and declare antiquities sites throughout the territories.<\/p>\n

        At present, responsibility for antiquities in the West Bank lies with the Civil Administration, while the Archaeology Staff Officer oversees excavations, site preservation, and the prevention of damage to antiquities in Area C. In Areas A and B, authority currently rests with the Palestinian Department of Antiquities.<\/p>\n

        The proposed authority would also be empowered to expropriate privately owned land for the purpose of protecting antiquities. Such expropriations already occur under the Civil Administration; during the past year, expropriation orders were issued for the archaeological sites of Sebastia<\/a> and Nabi Samuel<\/a>. The proposed law could enable settlers to take control of archaeological sites and Palestinian land on a significantly broader scale than has been witnessed under the current government.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Lower Professional Standards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Compared to the professional requirements imposed on members of the Israel Antiquities Authority Council, the qualifications required for membership in the proposed Heritage Authority would be considerably weaker. The Israel Antiquities Authority includes representatives of government ministries, universities, museums, and a chairperson who is a senior academic appointed in consultation with the Council for Higher Education.<\/p>\n

          Under the proposed legislation, however, candidates for the Heritage Authority Council would merely be required to demonstrate “significant experience” in antiquities, history, archaeology, or heritage. In other words, general knowledge not necessarily grounded in academic training would suffice for appointment. The proposal provides for only one representative from a recognized academic institution, who would likely come from Ariel University.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Control Transferred to Settlers<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            In addition to professionals and experienced individuals serving on the Heritage Authority Council, the body would include representatives of regional councils in the settlements, namely, representatives of the settler movement, as well as an additional public representative appointed directly by the minister. The composition of the council points to near-total control of the authority by the minister and the settlers.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Concerns Regarding Intervention in Construction Processes in Areas A and B<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Should the law ultimately be applied throughout the entire West Bank, including Areas A and B, the Heritage Authority could prevent construction projects in these areas on the grounds of potential harm to antiquities. Such authority already exists under both the Israeli and Palestinian antiquities regimes. However, the proposed Heritage Authority would be an Israeli body empowered to intervene in any construction near or on archaeological sites.<\/p>\n

              It is important to recall that nearly all Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank are built adjacent to, or directly atop, archaeological remains, reflecting continuous settlement patterns spanning hundreds and even thousands of years. Consequently, the implementation of such powers could have profound implications for Palestinian urban development and construction opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              The establishment of the proposed Heritage Authority constitutes the most significant annexationist measure undertaken by the Israeli Knesset since the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967. The proposed legislation transfers responsibility for archaeology and antiquities sites from the Civil Administration to the Israeli Ministry of Heritage. The law is intended to apply throughout the West… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":45415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2813,4187,4262],"class_list":["post-57757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-settlement-watch","tag-annexation","tag-archaeology","tag-heritage-authority"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57757"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57760,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57757\/revisions\/57760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peacenow.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}