New bill proposes to extend Israeli authority over West Bank

ARCHAEOLOGY AND POLITICS: New West Bank antiquity bill seeks to extend Israeli authority over Areas A and B. Proposed law, seeking to create a civilian body in charge of antiquities and archaeological sites, has been opposed by most Israeli archaeologists, likely violates international law (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A new version of a bill whose purpose is to extend Israeli authority over antiquities and heritage sites in the West Bank, aims to include Areas A and B — where the Palestinian Authority has civilian control — under the scope of its applicability, according to the latest draft uploaded to the Knesset website on Wednesday ahead of a meeting of the Education and Culture Committee to discuss it. ...

Under the Oslo Accords, Israel’s involvement in West Bank antiquities is only supposed to extend to Area C, the 60% of the West Bank where it maintains civil and military control, while Area A and B are under the civilian control of the Palestinian Authority (in the case of Area A, the PA also maintains control over security affairs).

Under prevailing interpretations of international law, even in Area C, Israel is permitted only to conduct salvage excavations and operations to preserve antiquities and archaeological sites, rather than to initiate academic digs or site development.

Background here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.