Dozens of Jewish settlers broke into the archaeological area in Sebastia town northwest of Nablus on Thursday.
Muhammad Azem the mayor of Sebastia said that settlers broke into the place amid strict military measures by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF). The area and the roads linking to it were closed to the Palestinian citizens.
Sebastia is routinely subjected to incursions by IOF and the closure of the archaeological area to secure the raids of Jewish settlers who perform religious rituals claiming that it is Israeli territory.
On Wednesday IOF blocked maintenance work to the entrance to Sebastia detained the contractor and the workers and seized a bulldozer and other equipment in the area.
