Trending Now - Archaeology and Politics Intertwine in the West Bank

WHO:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Eyal Freiman, deputy staff officer for archaeology of Israel's Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Talya Ezrahi, member of the left-wing Israeli archaeology group Emek Shaveh.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Eid Barakat, resident displaced from Nebi Samuel.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Adi Shragai, Israeli archaeologist and member of the group Preserving the Eternal.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Zaid Azhari, Palestinian resident of Sebastia.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Rafi Greenberg, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University and co-founder of Emek Shaveh.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Amichai Eliyahu, Israel's Minister of Heritage.

WHAT:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Israel is allocating nearly $100 million to develop archaeological and tourism sites in the West Bank.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - A Palestinian village was dismantled to create a tourist site at Nebi Samuel.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - In November 2025, Israel issued a land expropriation order for more than 300 acres of Sebastia.

WHERE:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The site of Tala'at Ad-Dam, located in the Judean desert along an ancient pilgrimage route to Jerusalem.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The West Bank, also referred to as Judea and Samaria.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Sebastia, a town that was once the capital city of the Kingdom of Israel.

WHEN:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The excavation at Tala'at Ad-Dam is ongoing as of April 5th, 2026.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Eid Barakat has been in temporary housing since 1971.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The land expropriation order was issued in November 2025.

WHY:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Archaeology is being used to assert historical claims to land by both Israelis and Palestinians.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Talya Ezrahi claims archaeology has been weaponized to enhance and entrench Israeli settlements.

HOW:

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - Excavations are being conducted by Israeli archaeologists, often requiring them to navigate around Palestinian towns due to high tensions.

[09:57 AM EDT] - CBS News - The Israeli government is involved in the preservation and development of archaeological sites as part of its heritage policy.

(UPDATED April 5, 2026 15:07 UTC)

Israel is investing nearly $100 million to develop archaeological and tourism sites in the West Bank, with ongoing excavations at Tala'at Ad-Dam, a site along an ancient pilgrimage route to Jerusalem. This initiative has led to the dismantling of a Palestinian village at Nebi Samuel and follows a land expropriation order issued in November 20th25 for more than 300 acres of Sebastia. Archaeology is increasingly being used by both Israelis and Palestinians to assert historical claims to the land, with critics like Talya Ezrahi arguing that it has been weaponized to support Israeli settlements.