I first visited the Christian village of Sebastia sometime in 2011. Climbing a bit from the parking lot to the tel's summit, one could see across the hilltops much of the occupied West Bank. The view was stunning as I stood, surrounded by olive groves, and pondered the history that had unfolded there. 

Believed to be one of the oldest inhabited areas of the Palestinian West Bank, with more than 5,000 years of history, Sebastia is renowned for its Iron Age ruins, including structures linked to the ancient Israelite capital of Samaria (or Shamron) of the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. This ancient biblical city and capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was purchased by King Omri from Shemer, and its name, Shamron (or Samaria), means “watch mountain,” because of the views of the surrounding areas that it affords.  

Close to the West Bank town of Nablus, today the Palestinian village of Sebastia, transliterated from Arabic as Sabastiya or Sebastiya, takes its name from the city Herod the Great founded there in 25 B.C. About 3,000 Palestinians live in the Sebastia village which is primarily Muslim with a small Christian population as well. The archeological site, which UNESCO deemed a World Heritage Site for Palestine in 2012, includes the remains of a Roman temple, basilica, theater, stadium, and walls of an avenue with colonnades. Sebastia is the largest archeological site open in the West Bank. The ruins of the amphitheater show that it could once seat up to 7,000 people. Long a Christian pilgrimage site because of the belief that John the Baptist was buried there, numerous historic churches have been built over the centuries, including one constructed during the Byzantine era (4th century) and later reconstructed during the Crusader era (12th century). The burial site of John the Baptist was converted into a mosque during the Muslim conquest. Its name comes from its dedication to John the Baptist, the prophet Yahya, according to Muslims. 

On my visit, I was able to see some of the ancient site and also visit the tourist center that has been expanded and developed by Christian groups like Pro Terra Sancta, who helped fund the expansion of the historical area, which significantly helps the local Palestinian economy by employing local artisans and workers at the site. Two mosaic fragments were unearthed in 2009 near the remains of the Byzantine church, believed to be from a monastery that existed there in ancient times. However, few Christian pilgrims spend much time in the occupied West Bank beyond visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Thus, local Palestinian economic opportunities in tourism in Sebastia have been significantly limited. The ruins, when I saw them, seemed to be all but abandoned, not by local Palestinian Christians, but by the global Christian community that believes in the significance of John the Baptist in the life and story of Jesus Christ. Today, often only history buffs and those willing to go off the “beaten path” visit. Thus, it can seem that the holy site and place have been all but neglected. 

Saint John’s grave was vandalized and desecrated in the mid-4th century, and what was purported to be his bones were partially burned; thus, surviving relics were taken to Jerusalem and eventually to the Coptic monastery in Alexandria, Egypt. Today, in addition to the Nabi Yahya Mosque, there is also a small museum. 

Because of the land’s historic connections as the location of the capital of the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel, it is of great interest to Jews and especially to settlers who have the aim of taking over the land and territory of the West Bank (what ardent Israeli Jews call by its biblical names of Judea and Samaria) from Palestinians.

The Shamron Regional Council, an official part of the Israeli government, talks about the founding of the Jewish settlement in Samaria in 1979 and has a population of 43,130 Israelis living on land designated for a Palestinian state. “Olim” in Hebrew refers to Jewish people who have made aliyah and become citizens of the state of Israel. Over the past 10 years, 697 olim have chosen to live in the areas confiscated by the Shamron regional council. In 2024, 48 new olim made aliyah to the Shomron. These communities threaten local Palestinians and can often be very militant, harboring weapons and attacking Palestinians as they attempt to harvest their local olive groves. 

Israeli settlers deem the site of Sebastia to be of central importance because of its location in the West Bank. The confiscation of this land would allow for the assertion of Jewish historical continuity and the further segregation of Palestinian communities, including Christians. As the Israeli Knesset considers complete annexation of the West Bank, this type of action further violates Palestinian human rights in its exclusivist actions toward complete Israeli sovereignty. 

This move to separate and divide the Palestinian community is not out of nowhere. Rather, over the past three decades, since the Oslo II Accords, and especially over the last five years, there have been intensified efforts by the Shomron Regional Council to deliberately segregate the Palestinian village of Sebastia from the ancient historical site located in Area C and under Israeli security and civil administrative control. In 2023, a 32 million NIS plan published by the local government asserted the goal of developing a major tourist attraction and archaeological park that would emphasize the historical significance of the place as the Iron Age capital of the Northern Israelite Kingdom. In July 2024, the Israeli military issued an order for 1.3 dunams of the archeological site at the summit of Sebastia to be seized. 

In 2025 alone, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented more than 1,800 attacks in the entire occupied West Bank. The UN began keeping track of settler violence in 2006, and the 2025 numbers indicate the highest levels of settler violence ever, averaging about five attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank per day. The Palestinian village of Sebastia has experienced numerous settler attacks over the years. In January 2024, a young man was shot in the foot with live ammunition during an Israeli military raid on the community. In May of that same year, settlers reportedly destroyed wheat fields belonging to the village in attempts to displace Palestinians.

In June 2024, Ayman Shaer was shot in the leg with an illegal “butterfly bullet” during confrontations around the ruins in Sebastia. His father, Raed Shaer, reported being beaten by soldiers and threatened with a gun. In October 2024, a young man and Palestinian farmers were attacked by settlers as the Palestinians were attempting to harvest their olives. The young man had been hit by a concussion grenade and suffered massive bleeding and serious wounds on his arm. In November of last year, an elderly man, Ahmed Ghazal, died from his injuries sustained after being assaulted and attacked by armed settlers who used pepper spray in their violence as he sought to harvest his olives. These are just a few of the examples of the horrors experienced by incursions from the Israeli military and violent settler attacks. Because of attacks on the community, the Palestinian Authority has requested that UNESCO consider the archeological site to be “in danger.”  

The situation in Sebastia, like many other Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank is dire. It’s believed that there are fewer than 50,000 Palestinian Christians left in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Since the October 7, 2023, horrific attacks by Hamas and other militants that killed roughly 1,200 people and took more than 245 as captives into Gaza, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has continued to deteriorate. Palestinians have family and loved ones in Gaza, and they too suffer from the devastation and military attacks by Israel. 

In Gaza, over the past two plus years the death toll has been more than 71,000 people, and many world experts consider the actions of the Israeli military toward Palestinians there to be genocide. All the while, Palestinians in the oPt also suffer military incursions, demolitions, hundreds of checkpoints and restrictions on movement, more than 40,000 people in the North of the West Bank have been displaced, and numerous other human rights abuses have been committed under Israel’s military occupation. Since October 7, 2023, 1,046 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to the U.N.  

Christians continue to be among the most vulnerable, in large part because they often are able to get visas to be able to leave, making them one of the greatest parts of the population that is vulnerable to expulsion and displacement. Ethnic cleansing is defined as the purposeful mass expulsion or the killing of one ethnic or religious group by another. Palestinians, Muslim and Christian alike, regardless of whether or not they live in Sebastia, other parts of the oPt, or Gaza, experience nothing less. 

If you would like to learn more about the situation, I recommend the article Sebastia: Whose heritage? published by Independent Catholic News on November 26, 2025 and written by the Jewish Catholic South African and Israeli priest, Father David Neuhaus, SJ. You can also learn about ways to engage in peacebuilding and advocacy through our work at Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). 

Might we commit to praying for the people of Israel and Palestine and coming alongside the marginalized and oppressed within both of those communities. The displacement and attacks on Sabastia and other parts of the West Bank by violent settlers and the Israeli military must be brought to an end. Ultimately, the occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza continues to be one of the greatest security threats to the state of Israel. 

Only when all people have self-determination, equality, and human rights will Palestinians and Israelis be able to live side by side in peace. Might we pray for peace as we work to right the wrongs of this world. And might Jesus, the Prince of Peace, pave the way so that the people of Sebastia and all in Palestine and Israel might be safe and free.