PA Dep. Minister: Israel invented false narrative ”to seize Palestinian lands”

PA Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Saleh Tawafsheh: "This project (i.e., City of David archaeological site) is a false project aimed at fully seizing Jerusalem, and an act of expropriation of all the cultural heritage of the Palestinian people in this city. This is a project invented by the occupation authorities (i.e., Israel)... This false narrative around Jerusalem, which they always claim in their false statements that it is part of the history of King David, or what is called ‘King David' in their story. However, all these false titles are nullified when we talk about the truth, the truth that archaeology has shown through facts on the ground, the results of excavations and searches that have been made, all of which have led to the fact that this entire narrative is false… The truth says that the Palestinian people has been connected to the land since time immemorial. It is the one who established these civilizations, created this architecture, these arts, built this civilization in all the historical stages that Palestine has gone through."

[Official PA TV, In the Shadow of the Wall, Feb. 1, 2026]