In the remains of the Roman theatre, Israeli activist Alon Arad – who heads Emek Shaveh, an Israeli group that aims to ensure that the ancient heritage of the region belongs to all communities – says that the Israeli authorities have bypassed consultation with the local administration and residents of Sebastia.
“The thing is that Israel is not the owner of this place. This is a Palestinian heritage site. And in order to develop it in a positive way, it has to be done with the local community, with the municipality, so they can benefit.”
The Israeli plans would see Sebastia’s entrance moved to the other side of the vast site, away from the village and current car park and shops.
The Palestinian tourism and foreign ministries have expressed their hope that recognition by Unesco may buttress international support for their opposition to Israeli land seizures in Sebastia.
But the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has portrayed Unesco’s move as enabling Palestinian efforts to diminish historic Jewish ties to the West Bank.
“No vote in an international organisation can change history,” he asserted.