Archaeology on a slippery slope
The Temple Mount Sifting Project, sponsored by ELAD and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, is often portrayed in the media as a vital salvage operation of utmost scientific import. In recent years, an attempt has even been made to upgrade the initiative to a full-fledged scientific enterprise, with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) now outsourcing sifting for its digs—the ELAD-sponsored City of David excavations and others—to the project.