Archaeology’s Political Context
The May 6 op-ed by Israel Finkelstein, “In the Eye of Jerusalem’s Archaeological Storm” underscores some problems and misconceptions surrounding the “City of David” in the Palestinian village of Silwan.
Much of the site lies beneath village houses. It is this intermingling of ancient remains and modern homes that makes archaeology in the City of David/Silwan so sensitive, and it is what allows the right-wing Elad settler group to pursue a two-pronged policy of both settlement on the site and excavation of its remains. Archaeology thus significantly affects the lives of people in the present: to imagine archaeology as being “beyond politics” constitutes mere denial.
Finkelstein rightly opposes the management of a national monument by a private foundation, arguing that the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority, respectively, should manage and excavate the site. This is, itself, a political statement, as Israeli sovereignty in Silwan is disputed, and with it the legitimacy of unilateral activity carried out under Israeli law. Moreover, as places like Silwan and the Old City become increasingly identified with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the harder it is to separate archaeological from political activity.
Jerusalem’s archaeology is a part of world heritage, as potentially meaningful to the local inhabitants as it is to Israelis and to the world. Jerusalem has never ceased being inhabited, and every phase in its existence is packed with significance. In the long run, the future of the archaeological remains in the historic basin will not be served by exclusive Israeli control, but through interaction between archaeologists and local people, professional international cooperation, and a broad view of Jerusalem as significant to many nations and faiths
YONATAN MIZRAHI
Executive Director
Emek Shaveh
Jerusalem, Israel
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
