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Israelis visit the site of the ancient village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 22, 2019, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. (Hillel Maeir/Flash90) Funds to go toward development of Sebastia archaeological park near Nablus, with remains from 10 different periods, over which Israelis and Palestinians have fought for years The government approved a budget of NIS 32 million ($8.8 million) on Sunday for the restoration and development of the Sebastia archaeological site near the West Bank city of Nablus, a largely neglected historical site over which Israelis and Palestinians have been wrangling for decades....

Herod built three temples in honor of his patron Augustus. One stood at Sebastia (Samaria) and a second one at Caesarea. Where was the third? Some archeologists think it was at Banias itself, but that city was dedicated to the god Pan. Andrew Overman of Macalester College in the US thinks the temple was at Omrit. Overman has been digging at the site for nearly 10 years and sees in the remains all the unique characteristics and high quality of Herod's methods of building. Like the other two temples, Omrit was approached by a grand flight of stairs that led...

Christian leader urges Islamic control of Temple Mount Claims his community 'belongs to the Palestinian national cause'JERUSALEM – A top Christian Palestinian leader here yesterday urged Islamic control of the Temple Mount while claiming Israel was threatening the site's famous Al Aqsa Mosque. "Regarding threats against the Al Aqsa Mosque from fanatic Jews, what is threatening you is threatening Christians. One who is attacking you is attacking Christians. We are one family and one people, and we belong to the Palestinian national cause," said Attallah Hanna, archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Church...

Church official: No land to Jews! Cancellation of property sale could affect dividing Jerusalem Posted: December 7, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Aaron Klein © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com Theofilos III JERUSALEM – The man enthroned here as Greek Orthodox patriarch has been asked by church leaders to cancel the sale to Jewish groups of land comprising much of a key entrance to Jerusalem's Old City, a church official told WND yesterday. "The deal must be canceled and Theofilos knows this. We as a church will fight any smuggling of real estate to Jewish organizations," Atallah Hanna, the church's archbishop of Sebastia,...

Ancient Israelite capital Sebastia, site of important Roman and Crusader ruins, lies unprotected because of security situation. The ancient town of Sebastia is one of the major archaeological sites of the Holy Land, with its overlapping layers of history dating back nearly 3,000 years. But today the hilltop capital of biblical kings, later ruled by Roman conquerors, Crusaders and Ottomans, is marred with weeds, graffiti and garbage. Caught between conflicting Israeli and Palestinian jurisdictions, the site has been largely neglected by both sides for the past two decades. Beyond the decay, unauthorized diggers and thieves have taken advantage of the...