Givati Parking lot

Press Release: Political Pressure led to reconsideration of the Kedem Compound – this time under more favorable conditions to the settlers

On Tuesday, March 22, the National Planning and Building Committee will hold a re-hearing on the ‘Kedem Center,’ to be built near the Old City walls at the entrance to...

Update – Kedem Center in Silwan and Davidson Center at the foot of the Temple Mount / Al-Aqsa Compound

 Important Israeli court and building committee decisions were recently delivered regarding efforts by right-wing organization Elad (An Israeli organization promoting Jewish settlement in Silwan that uses archaeology to strengthen Israeli...

Press Release: Elad’s Petition to disqualify Government Decision based on Board Member’s Political Views is rejected

District Court Judge Nava Ben-Or has rejected a petition by Elad demanding to retroactively disqualify a member of the National Planning and Building Council. The judge ordered Elad to pay...

Press Release: Request to Antiquities Authority and the Archaeology Council to prevent construction of Kedem Compound

16 November 2015 The media recently reported the discovery of a Hellenistic fort identified as the historical “Acra” in the Givati parking lot excavations, opposite the Old City walls. This...

Underground Jerusalem: The excavation of tunnels, channels, and underground spaces in the Historic Basin

Introduction The majority of the area of the Old City is densely built. As a result, there are very few open spaces in which archaeological excavations can be undertaken. From...

Archaeological Activities in Politically Sensitive Areas in Jerusalem’s Historic Basin

 Preface Jerusalem’s Old City and the Historic Basic (also called the Holy Basin) contain some of the most important sites to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. On account of its religious...

Update: new developments in the antiquity sites in Silwan, the area surrounding the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and in Hebron

In the past few weeks right wing settler NGOs have taken over new areas in Silwan/City of David, at the Davidson Center adjacent to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, and in...

Press Release: A Hard Blow to the El’ad Initiative and the Mayor of Jerusalem concerning the Building of the Kedem Compound

The National Appeals Committee fragmented El’ad’s monstrous building plan and established principles which create a precedent for any building plans on archaeological sites in the country. The National Appeals Committee...

Update Paper: The new government’s resolutions on Jerusalem, the place of archeology in these plans, and ministerial responsibility for the Israel Antiquities Authority

At its second session, the new government (the 34th government of Israel, headed by Netanyahu) has taken a number of decisions to strengthen Jerusalem’s economy and its status as the...

The 2015 Elections and the Political Struggle over the Temple Mount, Silwan and Jerusalem’s Old City

The next Knesset will be comprised of a right-wing and ultra-Orthodox majority. However, the weakening of far-right elements and their removal from the Likud list of MKs is of great...