"RESCUE EXCAVATIONS" in Israel: Difficult decisions.

In Israel, a New Highway Leads to an Ancient Christian Past (New York Times)
By GREG MYRE

Published: April 11, 2004

NETANYA, Israel � This seaside town had a simple plan to add an interchange to the country's main coastal highway. But in a small land with a long history, almost anyplace one sticks a shovel in the ground, one strikes an ancient civilization.

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Sure enough, just a foot below the surface, a Christian community from the Byzantine era, dating from either the fifth or sixth century, presented itself just to the west of bustling Highway 2, and right in the middle of the planned interchange on the southern edge of Netanya.

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The Israeli authorities have halted the digging, but now they face a perennial quandary in the duel between the ancient and modern.

Should this tantalizing site be preserved and more fully explored, or should it be covered with a thick layer of asphalt in order to improve traffic flow on congested Highway 2?

"Our job is to find the balance between the needs of developing the country and preserving antiquities," said Yossi Levy, an archaeologist with the Antiquities Authority who is in charge of the Netanya region. "I want to believe that we are able to make most people happy."

The Antiquities Authority conducts about 250 "rescue excavations" annually, most of them prompted by plans for new construction projects. These digs can last from a few days to several months, depending on what they turn up.

When artifacts are found, the Antiquities Authority has three basic options.

All development can be blocked if the site is deemed extremely important. If the site has little or no significance, then the builders may proceed, and need not worry about destroying the remains. The third option, and the one most often adopted, is for the building to go ahead, but in a way that preserves the site and the artifacts.

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Rami Gobernik, a spokesman for the Netanya municipality, said the city would preserve the site, but had not made a final decision on how to proceed.

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