A controversial Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of Palestinian territory and would expand Jewish settlements.

The bill, which aims to establish a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority” under the Heritage Ministry, passed one of three votes in the Knesset in May, but it is unclear whether the final vote will be held before the Knesset disperses ahead of the October election. Amid the controversy surrounding the bill, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly halted its legislative process earlier this month.

The bill would bring management of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader-era sites in the Palestinian territories under Israeli Heritage Ministry management and allow related “expropriation and purchase of real estate” in the West Bank, which Israel calls by its Hebrew biblical name, Judea and Samaria.

That in effect would strip away oversight of some ancient sites from the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which under the 1990s Oslo peace accords has exercised limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, territory Israel captured in the 1967 war.

The PA’s tourism minister, Hani Al-Hayek, said “control over these antiquities is intended to expand control and expand settlements in these areas, deep inside Palestinian territories.”

Israel says the bill’s purpose is to protect ancient sites, though the Israel Defense Forces has officially stated its opposition to the proposal, and a Knesset committee legal adviser warned that if passed into law, it would violate Israel’s international commitments and reinforce claims of “creeping annexation.”

Peace Now, an Israeli settlements watchdog, said the bill “constitutes an annexationist measure in every respect” and would lead to broad-scale........

© The Times of Israel