New draft law seeks to extend Israeli control over antiquities in Palestinian areas
Israel is preparing a revised draft law aimed at expanding its control over antiquities and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank, including areas under Palestinian civil authority, Hebrew media outlets reported.
According to Israeli reports, the latest version of the draft law was uploaded to the Knesset website last Wednesday ahead of planned discussions. The proposal would extend Israeli authority over antiquities in Areas A and B of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority exercises civil control.
The draft includes dozens of notes and observations indicating that several clauses still require clarification or further definition before the bill can be submitted to a Knesset committee for a vote.
One of the annotations notes that the bill’s main sponsor, Likud member of parliament Amit Halevi, has requested that the legislation also be applied to the Gaza Strip.
The original version of the bill, first introduced in 2023, proposed transferring responsibility for antiquities in the occupied West Bank to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which currently oversees archaeological sites in territories occupied by Israel in 1948.
According to the Hebrew-language newspaper The Times of Israel, the revised proposal has drawn widespread criticism from Israeli professional archaeologists. Many have accused the ruling right-wing coalition of attempting to impose de facto annexation through control of antiquities and heritage management.
Under the Oslo Accords, Israeli involvement in antiquities in the West Bank is formally limited to Area C, which makes up around 60 per cent of the territory and remains under full Israeli civil and military control. Areas A and B are designated for Palestinian civil administration, with the Palestinian Authority also responsible for security in Area A.
Netanyahu Battles Coalition Crisis amid Haredim Draft Dispute – Report
Israel’s governing coalition is facing a deepening crisis that could lead to its collapse, amid escalating disputes over a law exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim) from military service, according to Israeli media cited by Al-Jazeera.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading efforts to keep his government afloat until as close as possible to the next elections, the report stated.
Officially, general elections in Israel are scheduled for the end of October 2026 unless early elections are called.
The report, citing informed sources, stated that Netanyahu has been focused in recent days on managing what it described as a “containment battle” within the coalition, by supporting National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir despite “legal objections,” according to Al-Jazeera Arabic.
‘Borrowed Time’
In late November, 16 former Israeli judges and security officials announced their opposition to a bill to execute Palestinian prisoners, proposed by Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and passed by the Knesset (parliament) in its first reading. They argued that the bill “would endanger the lives of Israelis,” according to Israel’s Channel 12, the Al-Jazeera Arabic report stated.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is working to push Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to move forward with preparing the 2026 budget, according to the newspaper.
According to sources, the threat by the ultra-Orthodox parties to withhold support for the budget if the draft exemption law is not passed “revealed the fragility of the coalition and confirmed that its continued existence is now based on borrowed time.”
This comes at a time when political assessments indicate that the Israeli political system has effectively entered an election campaign atmosphere, according to the same sources.
Possible Early Elections
Ynet News reported that Netanyahu hopes to keep the coalition intact “until the latest possible date” ahead of elections, “but he may have little room to maneuver.” It noted that Netanyahu has “instructed aids to prepare for elections as early as June.”
Analysts at Yediot Ahronot believe that the issue of exempting Haredim from military service has become the main issue threatening to end the current government’s term, according to Al-Jazeera Arabic. Netanyahu fears that passing any version of the law will weaken his electoral base, while the Haredim realize that going to early elections could put them in a weaker negotiating position.
According to the same newspaper, assessments indicate that whether or not the Knesset is dissolved in the coming months, the political scene in Israel is heading towards a heated election phase, with increasing difficulty in maintaining the stability of the existing coalition.
Haredim Clash with Police
On Sunday, clashes broke out between Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters outside a recruitment office in Jerusalem, Al-Jazeera reported.
These clashes are part of a broader protest movement led by the Haredim against military conscription, which began after the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling that mandated military service for them and prohibited financial aid to religious institutions whose students refused to enlist.
Israeli police use water cannons to forcibly disperse Haredi Jews protesting compulsory conscription into the Israeli military, pushing demonstrators back. pic.twitter.com/pYhln1DWoy
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 4, 2026
The Haredim constitute about 13 percent of Israel’s population of approximately 10 million. They justify their refusal to serve by claiming to dedicate their lives to Torah study and fearing that integration into secular society would threaten their religious identity.
For decades, they have evaded conscription upon reaching the age of 18 by repeatedly obtaining deferments under the pretext of studying at religious seminaries, until they reached the exemption age, which is currently 26, the report stated.
