Israel, Archeology and
Post-Modern Gobbledygook
Monday, August 08, 2016 | Tsvi Sadan
Archeology and Palestine is a mismatch simply because there are no
archeological Palestinian sites. At best archeology can inform us about Muslim
life and culture since the 7th century AD. This is of little use to
archeologists who are willing to compromise their discipline in the name of
political agenda.
If one would ask
about Zionists harnessing archeology for their political ends, they have done
that, but they at least didn't have to fabricate Jewish archeology. Archibald Sayce didn't fabricate the Siloam Inscriptionand Yigael Yadin didn't forge the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Further still, no Jewish archeologist was ever involved in
institutionalized destruction of Muslim artifacts and systematic elimination of
evidences of Muslim presence in the Land of Israel.
Palestinian
archeologists and their sympathetic comrades are doing whatever they can to
subvert archeology in such a way as to erase any Jewish link to "the Land
of Palestine." Jordanian official Raef Yusuf Najm is representative of
this official Palestinian policy, claiming that "throughout history, Muslims and Christians have lived
in Al Quds (Jerusalem) as one Palestinian people. Their coexistence was marred
only by the Crusade invasions, then the Zionist and colonialist Israeli
invasion which is trying to judaize the land and the people through all forms
of crime and tyranny."
This effort to erase Jewish archeology as a way of weakening Israel is
supported by the New Israel Fund (NIF), a subversive organization whose real
aim is to turn Israel into a democratic, rather than a Jewish-democratic state.
In one of its latest Facebook posts, NIF proudly announced its support
of Emek Shaveh, an organization of Israeli archeologists that has teamed up
with their Palestinian counterparts. So unaware of their betrayal of their
academic discipline, Emek Shaveh proclaims on its website that the group is
made up of "archaeologists and community activists focusing on the role of
archaeology in Israeli society and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
One of archeology's roles is to dispel the notion that it can support
the Jewish claim to the land. The founder of Emek Shaveh, archeologist Gideon
Sulimani, exited NIF when he said that "a nation or religion should not
use archeological artifacts as a proof of land ownership." This, however,
is a strange accusation considering that Jews have prayed to return to
Jerusalem long before the idea of archeology was ever conceived. At worst,
Israeli archeologists were trying too hard to produce scientific evidences for
the traditional Jewish claim of Israel being the land of their fathers.
Emek Shaveh has radically departed from "Zionist archeology." If
fact, this organ is not interested in proving anything, least of all proving
Jewish presence in this land.
Truth is not what they are after. These "scientists" are in
the business of peace, and for the sake of that goal truth can be manipulated,
denied and locked in post-modern gobbledygook.
A masterpiece of
truth-evasion is found in their brochure entitled "Frequent Questions about
Jerusalem's Old City." Consider
this sentence alone: "Archaeology can support different historical
scenarios, but it neither conclusively proves nor absolutely disproves
them." In other words, if one so wishes, archeology can support the
Palestinian narrative. All that needs to be done is to say that David is not
conclusively Jewish. Likewise, since no blood stains or pieces of priestly
garments can be found on the Temple Mount, evidences of ancient Jewish
religious warship there can't be regarded as conclusive.
Though seeking peace is admirable, one has to wonder how such damaging
dishonesty can advance it.
