Last Tuesday morning, May 12, the Knesset plenum approved in its first reading the Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority Bill, sponsored by Likud MK Amit Halevi, aimed at establishing the state’s direct responsibility for antiquities, heritage and archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria.
Under the proposal, the body would function as an independent professional administration tasked with improving and streamlining the management of heritage sites, while reducing damage to them. The legislation also seeks to guarantee, by law, funding for the authority’s activities through the budget of the Ministry of Heritage.
On Feb. 8, 2026, the Israeli Cabinet authorized a series of measures that will cement Israeli oversight regarding environmental hazards, water violations and the protection of archaeological heritage sites in Areas A and B of Judea and Samaria.
According to the Knesset’s readout of the plenum session, additional provisions would regulate the authority’s operations similarly to those of the Israel Antiquities Authority, including the appointment of a council and a director.
The new body would be charged with “excavation, development and management of antiquities and heritage sites, as well as expropriation and acquisition of land for these purposes, supervision and enforcement against offenses in this field, coordination of archaeological information, and more,” according to the Knesset.
Until now, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, rather than a civilian body such as the Israel Antiquities Authority, has been responsible for the matter, as the areas in question are not under full Israeli civil law.
Halevi told JNS that the legislation seeks to rectify what he described as a longstanding failure to safeguard Israel’s heritage sites in Judea and Samaria.
“Hundreds of sites and antiquities treasures have been robbed and destroyed over the years. This is a true crime against our nation and against history,” he said.
Data cited by the Regavim movement, a research-based advocacy organization focusing on land use and sovereignty issues, indicates that there are some 6,000 sites of historical and archaeological importance in Judea and Samaria recognized by the scientific community, with about 2,300 having been officially declared protected archaeological sites.
Regavim argues that, under the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO, the Palestinian Authority was tasked with protecting archaeological sites in Areas A and B under its jurisdiction. However, the group says the Palestinian Authority has failed to prevent widespread vandalism and has not ensured access to certain sites “without discrimination,” as stipulated in the Oslo II Agreement.
Halevi added that the proposed legislation is important for several reasons.
He said that, on a practical level, after 59 years of neglect following Israel’s administration of the area after the Six-Day War, Israel is finally taking formal and serious responsibility for ensuring its spiritual and cultural treasures are protected.
Halevi said the bill is historic in that it represents the first time Israel would be implementing Israeli law directly over sites in Judea and Samaria.
“The law does not change the status of the land, but for the first time makes clear that Israel can legislate in Judea and Samaria through formal legislation,” he said.
Religious Zionist Party MK Ohad Tal, who supported the bill, told JNS that for decades, the Palestinian Authority has acted systematically and deliberately to loot and destroy sites in Judea and Samaria, which he described as both Jewish and universal heritage assets.
Tal said he was proud to support “correcting this historic injustice,” and granting the State of Israel the official authority to act against damage to these sites, excavate them and preserve them for future generations.
“This is another important step toward the fulfillment of Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” he said.
Naomi Linder Kahn, director of the International Division of Regavim, told JNS her organization was pleased that this “very minimal step” is underway, adding that it is “absolutely ridiculous” that the Israel Antiquities Authority does not have jurisdiction in the area.
According to Kahn, the Palestinian Authority was responsible for the reclassification of some of the most important physical remnants of Jewish history and the Bible as “Palestinian heritage sites,” thus “rewriting history and inventing a Palestinian Arab narrative out of the bedrock of our own national identity.”
Kahn added that the P.A. has proven it cannot be entrusted with the preservation or protection of these sites and therefore “Israel must step in to stop the destruction before it goes any further.”
Halevi said he expects the second, third and final readings of the legislation to take place in the Knesset in the coming weeks.
