The government is discussing annexation of parts of the West Bank in connection with the plan. The move, which would extend Israeli law and sovereignty over parts of Israeli-controlled Area C, is supposed to begin as early as July 1.
Military sources place the number of archaeological sites in Area C at 3,000.
According to data provided by Preserving the Eternal, which describes itself as a network of entities devoted to “protect antiquities in Israel and Judea and Samaria,” there are about 6,000 sites of historical and archaeological importance in the area. They include some 2,300 that are officially cataloged as protected archaeological sites, it said.
On the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories English website, the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria Archaeology Unit describes the sites in Judea and Samaria as “among the most significant sites within the history and culture of the region and the world at large” and as the “cornerstones of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic history.”
Their list includes some of the most renowned archaeological treasures in the region, such as the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered, and Herodion.
Specifically, Preserving the Eternal has surveyed about 365 sites that it describes as having major importance for their connection to Israel’s national heritage. Of them, 258 are located in Area C.
The organization warned that based on maps released in the context of the Trump peace plan, 135 of these sites will be transferred to Palestinian control if the plan is implemented in its entirety, in addition to those in areas A and B that are already under Palestinian control.
