Israel seizes archaeological site in West Bank
The Israeli army has seized 1,300 square meters of land at an archaeological site in the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus, the mayor has told the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The mayor of Sebastia, Muhammad Azem, told the news outlet that the Israeli army stormed the town and handed over a decision to build military barracks.
Azem said establishing a military facility inside the archaeological site violated UNESCO laws and threatened to harm tourism in Sebastia.
He added that the plan was part of Israel’s effort to permanently extend its control to the Palestinian territory.
Lot of Roman remains there.
Australia sanctions Israeli youth group, settlers over violence against Palestinians
The Australian government has placed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Israeli settlers and a youth group for involvement in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the group was responsible for inciting and perpetrating violence against Palestinians, while the settlers had been involved in beatings, sexual assault and torture of Palestinians, and also deaths in some cases.
“We call on Israel to hold perpetrators of settler violence to account and to cease its ongoing settlement activity, which only inflames tensions and further undermines stability and prospects for a two-state solution,” Wong said in a statement.
Australia’s announcement of sanctions follows similar recent actions against individual Israeli settlers by the UK, the US, Canada and Japan. Australia already considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.
Welcome to the virtue signalling bandwagon. When are real sanctions coming, or you know stop sending more weapons and bombs.
