Knesset advances bill to take control of West Bank heritage sites

The Knesset has approved the preliminary reading of a bill that would transfer authority over heritage and archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank to direct Israeli state control, according to a parliamentary statement released Tuesday.

Direct Israeli responsibility proposed

The measure, passed on Monday evening, “proposes to establish the direct responsibility of the state for the care of antiquities, heritage, and archaeological sites” in the West Bank by creating a new body under Israel’s Heritage Ministry. The bill would grant that body “all the necessary powers” to excavate, develop, and manage such sites, including “expropriating and acquiring land for this purpose.” The draft law must still pass second and third readings before coming into force.

Escalating settlement measures

In February, Israel’s Security Cabinet ordered the repeal of a law barring the sale of Palestinian land to Jews in the West Bank, unsealing land ownership records and transferring building permit authority from Palestinian municipalities to Israel’s civil administration. Palestinian and international organizations have warned that Israel is seeking to annex the West Bank through a series of settlement measures without formal declaration. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Türkiye has consistently condemned Israeli settlement activities and any unilateral steps that violate international law and undermine the two-state solution.