Antiquities robbers have damaged an ancient site in Sebastia in Samaria, according to the Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry.
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The damage, which was reported by guides employed by Shomrim al Hanetzach, a coalition of organizations that works for the protection, preservation, and development of antiquities and heritage sites in Judea and Samaria, was incurred around one month ago. Although Israeli officials only recently learned of the damage, the vandalism of the Sebastia amphitheater, one of the world's largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheaters, appears to have taken place around one month ago.
The steps and seating in the theater sustained the most damage when the robbers, digging beneath them in their search for antiquities, ripped them out of place. The robbers also exposed what appears to be an ancient water system that had been unknown to authorities.
Dr. Aaron Tavger of Ariel University's Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology Department said the vandalism had caused "significant and serious damage to a site of vast importance,"
In violation of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian ministry announced on its Facebook page that in coordination with the Sebastia Municipality, it had begun the process of restoring the site to its former state.
The ancient site is situated inside Area C, which is under full Israeli security and civilian control. The Palestinians are forbidden from operating in archaeological sites there, according to the agreement.
"For years, I have warned and cried out about the disgrace in ancient Samaria, but now it has reached a peak," Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said. "This place is under the authority of the [IDF] Civil Administration [that governs Judea and Samaria], but there is no enforcement, and there is no governance. The Palestinian Authority is conquering historic Jewish sites step by step."
Adi Shragai, head of operations at Shomrim al Hanetzach, said the incident was "further proof of the sad fact that the Civil Administration is failing to preserve heritage sites."
She called on the government to adopt the organization's national emergency plan for the defense of heritage sites.
In a statement, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said: "The Civil Administration takes the damage to and destruction of archaeological sites in the Judea and Samaria area very seriously. As a result, monitoring and enforcement operations were carried out at the site."
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