On April 10, 2025, Salah Hussein Al-Houdalieh published a new study in the Journal of This Week in Palestine, Issue 323, titled " Fostering national and international cooperation: A mechanism to counter Israeli's appropriation of Palestinian cultural heritage. The cultural heritage of the West Bank reflects a rich mosaic of civilizations, many of which hold exceptional universal value. However, the current trajectory of systematic appropriation of Palestinian heritage sites by Israel presents an existential threat to these irreplaceable heritage resources. As such measures are longstanding and ongoing, immediate action is crucial. The origins of the Palestinian archaeological issue in modern history can be traced back to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government in support of the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. The Palestinian people, along with many other nations, view this declaration as an illegitimate commitment, often criticized as a pledge made by authorities who did not own the land and who had made false promises of independence to those who did own it to gain their help in defeating the Ottomans. One month after issuing the declaration, Britain occupied Palestine, maintaining its colonial rule until 1948 and implementing numerous measures to facilitate the establishment of the State of Israel. (Munib Al-Masri, 91 years old, has filed two legal cases against the British government regarding the 1917 declaration, one in Nablus, Palestine, and the other in London). The British Mandate era is also considered the golden age for biblical archaeologists who explored Palestine and linked its sites and historical events to the Bible, regardless of whether the results of their work reflected facts or expressed personal or ideological illusions and desires. British archaeologist and army officer Mortimer Wheeler (1890–1976) stated that “more sins have probably been committed in the name of archaeology [in Palestine] than on any commensurate portion of the earth’s surface.”
The escalating, cumulative, and systematic encroachment by Israeli occupation authorities on the West Bank – particularly also the use of force to appropriate key elements of Palestinian cultural heritage – represents a most formidable challenge in efforts to counter the ongoing Judaization process. Such strategic appropriation is not merely a matter of territorial control; it is a calculated effort to reshape historical narratives, redefine cultural identities, and establish exclusive claims to heritage sites. By marginalizing Palestinian custodianship over their own archaeological and historical resources, these policies contribute to the erasure of Indigenous heritage and undermine international legal frameworks designed to protect cultural property in occupied territories. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort at local and international levels to safeguard Palestinian cultural heritage and ensure that historical narratives remain inclusive and reflective of the diverse civilizations that have shaped the region.
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