The body of John the Baptist is believed to be buried beneath the picturesque Ottoman-era village center of Sebastia. In the Bible, he is said to have baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, east of Sebastia.
He is said to have been beheaded by the Roman-appointed King Herod I, who ruled Palestine from 37 BC. C., and his head was buried in Damascus.
The Israeli government, however, focuses on Sebastia as the reported site of the capital of the Kingdom of Israel during the First Temple Period (around 1200 to 586 BC).
The importance that Israel places on the site can be seen on the border between the archaeological park of Sebastia and the town of Sebastia itself.
The second Oslo Agreement of 1995 divided the Palestinian West Bank into three areas, with approximately two-thirds in Area C under full Israeli administration and control, including the Sebastia archaeological park.
The rest of Sebastia is in Area B under Palestinian control, although Israel still controls security.
Mayor Azem said the conservation of historical sites in Sebastia has always caused conflicts between Palestinians and their occupants who want to “Judaize the site.”
Last year, the Israeli government announced some 30 million shekels (more than $8 million) for the restoration of the archaeological park. Recently, senior Israeli government ministers, including Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman and far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, visited the site.
Azem fears that once the war in Gaza ends, the Israeli government will revive the plan.
“When Sebastia is mentioned, Israel's extremist government is convinced, or politicians are trying to convince themselves, that the history of the site belongs to the Jewish people.
“And that is why they have prepared a budget… under the pretext of restoring the archaeological area and protecting it, but in reality they want Sebastia to be transformed into an exclusively Jewish site.”
Al Jazeera made inquiries to Israeli authorities about the claims made by Azem and others in this article, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Palestinian efforts to work on the site have often been delayed, Azem said, and the municipality has not been able to excavate, work on the ruins or even clean the site without aggression and intimidation from the military.
“All these things lead to a… fear of visiting the country as a result of the pressure exerted by the occupation through the army and settlers,” Azem said.
“They are doing [this] to scare us, trying to throw us out of our houses and lands to empty them for the settlers.”
The Sebastia archaeological park has been under the control of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority since 1978. The Yesha Council, which oversees all Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, is headquartered in Shavei Shomron. Azem says this only emphasizes Israel's intention to control the village and its historical sites.
Tour guide, archaeologist and villager Suhaib Huwwari said the settlers are guilty of “crimes against history” and that the village cannot prevent the artifacts from being looted. Some settlers, he said, have artifacts from the archaeological park on display in their homes.
“We spoke to UNESCO and gave them information about the Israeli project and asked for protection, but ultimately Israel does not care about international criticism,” Azem said.
Al Jazeera contacted UNESCO about these claims to ask if progress has been made in registering Sebastia as a World Heritage Site and if UNESCO condemns the violence in the town.
A UNESCO spokesman did not comment on the behavior of settlers and the Israeli army in Sebastia and said the body has not received an application from Palestine for full World Heritage status.
In Sebastia itself, Azem says, life has changed after the two “catastrophes”: first, the assassination of Fawzi and, second, Israel's war against Gaza, which has already killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.
“Of course [Fawzi’s killing] “It left a big impact,” he said. “People are afraid, parents are afraid… When the soldiers invade Sebastia, parents try to get their children to return home.”
“[And] Since October 7, the army kills without accountability. You see the massacres in Gaza every day and no one cares. [It’s the] The same here in Sebastia. When they come to town to kill and shoot… there is no responsibility.
“But we will not give up our home or the history of Palestine.”
