How Israel Uses Archaeology to Steal Land
From This Is Palestine by The Institute for Middle East Understanding
December 17, 2025 · 24 min · Episode 141
About this episode
This episode discusses how Israel uses archaeology as a means to seize land in the Palestinian village of Sebastia.
The Palestinian village of Sebastia, a living place where history, memory, and daily life are deeply intertwined. In this episode of This is Palestine, Diana Buttu speaks with Zaid Azhari, a cultural heritage researcher from Sebastia and a member of the Save Sebastia campaign, about Israel’s plans to seize large parts of the town’s archaeological heart under the pretext of “heritage development.” Zaid explains how archaeology is being used to deprive Palestinians of their land, livelihoods, and identity, and why protecting Sebastia means protecting a living community, not just ancient ruins. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu
People in this episode
Host: Diana Buttu
Guest: Zaid Azhari
Topics covered
- archaeology
- land rights
- cultural heritage
- Palestinian identity
- heritage development
Keywords
- Israel
- archaeology
- Sebastia
- land theft
- cultural heritage
- Palestinian rights
- heritage development
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Save Sebastia, The Institute for Middle East Understanding, IMEU
Places: Sebastia
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