Abstract
The outcome of the 1948 war in Palestine resulted not only in the country’s partition between the State of Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan, but also in the division of its archaeological research. The Jordanian Department of Antiquities, which was responsible for administering archaeological research in the West Bank until 1967, prioritized research in the East Bank over research in the West Bank as a function of broader Jordanian government policy. Most of the research in the West Bank during this period was conducted by foreign institutions and researchers, who were forced to choose between researching in either Israel or Arab countries. Those who chose to research in Israel were not allowed to simultaneously research and excavate in the Jordanian-controlled West Bank. Consequently, the foreign researchers’ choices divided them, placing them on different sides of the Green Line.The excavations in the West Bank piqued the curiosity of the Israelis, who never ceased trying to acquire information about them and their findings. These efforts included secret meetings with foreign researchers, attempts to acquire the Dead Seas scrolls, and the secret transfer to Israel of a few findings for the sake of secret research. For many years, part of their story remained classified in archives, and is shared here for the first time.
Translated title of the contribution | Archaeological Research in the West Bank, 1948–1967: Management, Complexity, and Israeli Involvement |
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Original language | Hebrew |
Pages (from-to) | 265–241 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Journal | במעבה ההר |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - 2021 |
IHP publications
- ihp
- Archaeologists
- Eretz Israel -- Antiquities
- Judea (Region) (Israel)
- Nationalism
- Politics, Practical
- Samaria (Region) (West Bank)