The West Bank town of Sebastia, with its layers of history, is a microcosm of the broader struggle faced by Palestinians in the occupied territories. The Israeli government's plans to redirect tourism through a settler-controlled route and expropriate privately owned land around the Sebastia archaeological site are not isolated incidents, but part of a deliberate and long-developing policy. This policy, as Talya Ezrahi of the Israeli heritage advocacy group Emek Shaveh explains, is to use archaeology as a tool to justify settlement and the displacement of Palestinians. The impact of these actions is devastating for the Palestinian town, with tour guides, souvenir sellers, and restaurant owners losing their livelihoods. The economic pressure is further exacerbated by the withholding of tax revenues by Israel, which has led to a fiscal deficit for the Palestinian Authority and cuts in public sector salaries. The physical barriers, including military checkpoints and barriers, limit the movement of goods and people, and the assault on the Palestinian banking system leaves billions of shekels in unusable cash. The Israeli government's plans to establish a civilian authority to govern antiquities in the West Bank are a step towards annexation, which would kill any hope for a two-state solution. The future of the Palestinian Authority and the possibility of a Palestinian state are in question, as the economic and legal pressures mount.
