Annexation in the name of archaeology
Yochai Damri, head of Mount Hebron Regional Council and Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin visit the remains of the ancient Jewish village of Susiya where a Palestinian village of the same name now exists in the occupied West Bank, 15 December 2021
Alon Arad and Talya Ezrahi write in +972:
On July 17, the Israeli government approved a NIS 120 million plan to “salvage, preserve, develop, and prevent antiquity theft at heritage sites in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.” This comes on the heels of an announcement in May that the government would be investing NIS 32 million in the development of the historic site of Sebastia in the northern West Bank. Together, these plans deliver on a coalition promise to the Otzma Yehudit party — led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — to allocate NIS 150 million for “safeguarding” Jewish heritage in the West Bank.
Moreover, on Jerusalem Day in May, the government announced an allocation of nearly NIS 200 million for the Western Wall Tunnels and development at settler-controlled archaeological sites in East Jerusalem (such as the City of David archaeological park), bringing the coming years’ total known investment in Jewish heritage sites over the Green Line to a record NIS 340 million.
These plans come against the backdrop of a five-year campaign orchestrated by an offshoot of the far-right settler group Regavim called Shomrim al Hanetzach (Guardians of Eternity), which has been accusing the Palestinians of intentionally destroying antiquities. Over the past few years, the campaign has succeeded in securing millions of shekels of government funding for surveillance and obstruction of Palestinian development in or near ancient sites.
While antiquity theft and destruction is a problem in the West Bank, as it is in the region as a whole, presenting it as a justification for the so-called national emergency plan announced last month is clearly a ruse. Less than 10 percent of the NIS 120 million budgeted for the plan will be used to combat antiquity theft and destruction, whereas NIS 80 million is earmarked for tourism development and infrastructure, including educational programs to raise awareness of the sites’ significance among the (Jewish) public, roads and transportation, signage, and a site that will serve as a “heritage house” or museum for antiquities from the West Bank. The plan also includes an initiative to develop between four and seven sites that will serve as “anchors” or focal points for Jewish tourism in the area.
Archaeology has had a special role in the Zionist nation-building enterprise since Israel’s beginnings.