Dr. Nizar Kayed
‘Israeli’ forces arrest 70-year-old Deputy Mayor of Nablus village Sebastia
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- Deputy Mayor of Sebastia Nizar Kayed had spoken out about settlement expansion in Sebastia before his arrest.
'Israeli' forces on Thursday arrest 70-year-old Dr. Nizar Kayed, the deputy mayor of Sebastia, a village in Nablus, from his home in the occupied West Bank.
The abduction of the civic leader comes following his vocal opposition to 'Israeli' plans to forcibly seize historical Palestinian lands surrounding the town’s ancient archaeological site to facilitate illegal settlement expansion.
Read more: Palestinian media says ‘Israeli’ special military unit infiltrated Gaza City
Targeting Palestinian heritage in Sebastia
Sebastia, one of the oldest continuously inhabited Palestinian towns, has faced escalating raids by 'Israeli' forces and armed settlers seeking to annex its world-renowned archaeological sites.
Kayed had previously criticized efforts by ‘Israel’ to use archaeological sites and land confiscations to limit Palestinian development in the Nablus governorate.
He also warned that restrictions on access to water resources, roads and archaeological sites were placing additional pressure on Palestinian communities in the area.
"It is part of settlement expansion," Dr. Kayed stated in an interview outlining the strategic objective behind the 'Israeli' military's incursions into the historic town.
Dr. Kayed's arrest is part of an intensifying crackdown by 'Israeli' forces across the West Bank, where arbitrary detentions, military raids, and land seizures have accelerated alongside expanding colonial settlement construction.
