PA Tourism Ministry official: Ancient Palestinians were Jews
Official PA TV News, on antiquities at the historical site of Sebastia, near Nablus
Official PA TV reporter: “The latest break-ins of the occupation to the village [of Sebastia] (the village is adjacent to the historical site and the PA considers it part of the village –Ed.) and the taking of pictures of the antiquities site and the taking of measurements there clearly show that the occupation is trying to create new facts on the ground, despite [the fact that] the historical evidence shows that it [the occupation] has no connection to the place.”
PA Ministry of Tourism Director of West Bank Sites Dirgham Al-Faris: “This is the Palestinian history, the history of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people remains the same people. It worshipped idols and then we took upon ourselves the Jewish religion, and afterwards the Christian religion, and afterwards Islam. There was no monotheism in Palestine before the Babylonian exile. The northern kingdom was a Canaanite idol-worshipping kingdom, but the occupation is not capable of recognizing these facts, because Sebastia and other sites are very important to it.”
Sebastia was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE and today is under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. The PA frequently claims that Israel is trying to take over the archeological site of Sebastia – which is located in Area C, under full Israeli security and administrative control.
Official PA TV reporter: “The latest break-ins of the occupation to the village [of Sebastia] (the village is adjacent to the historical site and the PA considers it part of the village –Ed.) and the taking of pictures of the antiquities site and the taking of measurements there clearly show that the occupation is trying to create new facts on the ground, despite [the fact that] the historical evidence shows that it [the occupation] has no connection to the place.”
PA Ministry of Tourism Director of West Bank Sites Dirgham Al-Faris: “This is the Palestinian history, the history of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people remains the same people. It worshipped idols and then we took upon ourselves the Jewish religion, and afterwards the Christian religion, and afterwards Islam. There was no monotheism in Palestine before the Babylonian exile. The northern kingdom was a Canaanite idol-worshipping kingdom, but the occupation is not capable of recognizing these facts, because Sebastia and other sites are very important to it.”
Sebastia was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE and today is under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. The PA frequently claims that Israel is trying to take over the archeological site of Sebastia – which is located in Area C, under full Israeli security and administrative control.