Western Wall plaza

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...

Antiquities in the Basement: Ideology and Real Estate at the Expense of Archaeology In Jerusalem’s Old City

Introduction The present volume is a series of abstracts based on longer reports by Emek Shaveh which draw on internal documents of the Israel Antiquities Authority (henceforth: IAA),[1] obtained under...

Public Discussion: Preserving Antiquities in Holy Places – The Temple Mount and its surroundings as a case study

 Emek Shaveh in cooperation with the Van leer Institute in Jerusalem invites you to a Public Discussion to be held on Thursday, 15 January 2015, 7pm, at the Van Leer Institute...

The Palestinian–Israeli Draft Agreement on Archaeological Heritage: Restarting Discussion on Jerusalem’s Historic Sites

Introduction This document proposes a management plan for ancient sites in Jerusalem’s Historic Basin. The cooperation of Israelis and Palestinians in this effort is seen as a means to strengthen...

Why is the Mughrabi Ramp a political issue?

In early September, the newspaper Haaretz published an article about the dismantling of a new Mughrabi ramp whose construction began in August. That ramp, like the existing one, was declared...

Press Release: Construction of New Temporary Ramp beside Mughrabi Ramp

In recent weeks, Israeli authorities started to build a new temporary ramp next to the existing one. As seen in the following images, it appears that the new ramp is...

The Opening of Underground Area in the Old City is Clear Example of Archaeology serving Political Goals

On Sunday, June 1 2014, an educational visitors’ center is opening in an underground site from the 14th century in the Muslim Quarter. The site will be inaugurated by the...

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

Introduction The tunnels being dug in the Old City and in the adjacent Palestinian village of Silwan have reached the headlines once again. In the four years since 2007, the...

“Beit Haliba” and the Givati Parking Lot Archeological Excavations and their Effect on the Status Quo in the Old City of Jerusalem and in Silwan

Introduction On February 13, 2012, the Jerusalem Building and Planning District Committee held a discussion on the issue of the construction of a four-story structure on the area known as...