Khaberni - The Committee on Education, Culture, and Sports in the Israeli Knesset, chaired by extremist Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot, today approved an amendment to the law of the Israeli Antiquities Authority for the first reading, which aims to establish direct responsibility for Israel over the care of antiquities, heritage, and archaeological sites in the West Bank.
According to the proposal, a "West Bank Heritage Authority" will be established, a legal entity affiliated with the Israeli Ministry of Heritage, responsible for the conservation, restoration, development, exploration, and rescue of archaeological sites, with an annual estimated budget of no less than 30 million Israeli Shekels. The proposal will be returned to the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs and will be discussed later in light of the amendments submitted.
Committee Chairman Sukkot said that this is a vital step given the ongoing damage to heritage sites according to Israeli media.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice requested that the law be returned to the Ministerial Committee due to its international sensitivity. The discussion also raised issues related to law enforcement and supervisory authorities that will be discussed later in preparation for the second and third readings.
