The government on Wednesday approved a 250 million NIS plan to preserve heritage and antiquities sites across the West Bank, Jordan Valley, and the Judean Desert, ahead of the anniversary of the Six-Day War in June.
The plan was announced in a joint statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the Finance Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, the Heritage Ministry, and the National Missions Ministry.
New heritage centers, set to serve as research and educational facilities, and visitor centers will be constructed at sites in these areas in order to bolster “the connection of the Israeli public to the Jewish people's historic assets in the region.”
Additionally, a multi-year plan worth tens of millions of shekels will be put in motion to upgrade existing infrastructure and hopefully turn the sites into major tourist destinations.
The plan also seeks to intensify efforts to prevent the looting and destruction of antiquities in the region.
“There is a need to create a permanent, regulated civilian and tourist presence that serves as a meaningful deterrent against looting and destruction of antiquities, as well as strengthening the public's connection to the historical identity of the region,” the statement explained.
Strengthening Jewish connection to the land
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the motion, noting “in almost every stone, mound, and heritage site lie thousands of years of the Jewish people's history in the Land of Israel.”
“We are investing today in preserving our past in order to secure our future, strengthen our hold on the Land of Israel, and pass on to future generations the heritage, identity, and historical truth of our people,” he said.
The plan comes alongside the approval of over 100 new settlements and farms in the West Bank, said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, adding that it is also highly important to strengthen the heritage of the Jewish people and their connection to the region.
“Contrary to international hypocrisy,” he said, “a people cannot be an occupier in its own land."
Tourism Minister Chaim Katz and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu echoed the two sentiments.
"After many long years in which the Jewish people's heritage sites in Judea and Samaria were neglected and at times even left vulnerable to destruction and looting, the State of Israel is today making a historic correction,” Eliyahu said. “We are restoring Jewish heritage to its rightful place, investing in the preservation of our history, and connecting future generations to the deep roots of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel."
National Missions Minister Orit Strock added that the issue is a matter of national importance, seeing the implementation of the plan as a privilege aimed at developing the connection between the Jewish past and present.
Plan comes against the backdrop of controversial West Bank heritage authority bill
The government’s new plan to turn the West Bank into a thriving tourist destination comes nearly a week after the controversial “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority” bill passed its first reading in the Knesset plenum and returned to the Knesset’s Education, Culture, and Sports Committee for further deliberation.
According to the bill, the proposed authority would operate under the Heritage Ministry in a fashion similar to that of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), and take on responsibilities currently belonging to the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit.
These responsibilities include the preservation, management, and development of antiquities and archaeological sites in the West Bank, as well as preventing looting, antiquities smuggling, and illegal excavations in the region.
Additionally, the authority would gain the ability to expropriate and acquire land it deems necessary for the preservation of these sites.
Supporters of the bill argue that such an authority is critical to protecting antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank, while its critics claim that the move is nothing more than another attempt at annexing the region and would place Palestinians residing there under Israeli governance.