Israeli Plan to Seize Historic Palestinian Town

According to a government document, Israel plans to seize 450 acres of the ancient Palestinian town of Sebastia.

Transcript

00:00This is Sebastia, an ancient Palestinian town that has stood for more than 3,000 years,

00:08bearing witness to layers of history and civilization. Israel is planning to confiscate

00:14nearly 450 acres of the town, according to a government document obtained by the Associated

00:21Press under the pretext of expanding a new illegal settlement whose outpost was established

00:28overnight by settlers.

00:44The anti-settlement group Peace Now stated that carrying out this plan would mark the largest

00:51land seizure of archaeologically significant Palestinian territory, an area rich with

00:57thousands of olive trees. Sebastia lies on the slope of a 450-meter high hill, midway between

01:05Nablus and Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and spans approximately 1,180 acres. Its history

01:13dates back to the Bronze Age, with several remarkable archaeological discoveries unearthed within its

01:20lands.