An-Najah News - Israeli occupation forces Wednesday has closed the area of the archeological site of Sabastia, north of Nablus, in preparation for a settler intrusion into the site, local sources said.

Mayor of Sabastia Mohamad Azem said that Israeli occupation army raided the town and proceeded to seal the site, preventing Palestinians from accessing it in order to make room for settlers to storm it.

Israel has been attempting to take over the town, which has become a site of heated cultural conflict, preventing the Palestinian Authority from conducting restoration works at the site, prohibiting providing tourist services to visitors from around the world, and stealing antiquities from it.

Palestinian villagers complain that Israeli settlers have repeatedly attacked the town and fenced parts of its antiquities, where they hold religious rituals.

Owners of restaurants and hotels complain about the Israeli acts in the town which have caused them severe damages and losses.