MORE ON THE CONCERNS of the AIA and ASOR about the current conflict in the Middle East, reprinted at the Combined Jewish Philantropies website:

Biblical Sites May Be Hurt, Experts Worry

By MIKE TONER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
07/22/2006


American archaeologists warned Friday that fierce fighting in Lebanon and northern Israel could damage or destroy the region's rich archaeological heritage --- threatening sites from biblical, Roman, Crusader and Byzantine times.

The heads of the Archaeological Institute of America and the American Schools for Oriental Research called on all parties in the conflict to "avoid targeting" cultural sites and do everything possible to minimize any damage to antiquities.

"This region embodied much of the early history of the three great religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam," said AIA President Jane Waldbaum. "With people lobbing missiles and bombs all over the place, the risk of damage could be very serious."

Waldbaum said the institute had unconfirmed reports of damage at Baalbek, the spectacular site of pre-Roman and Roman ruins in the Bekaa Valley about 50 miles northeast of Beirut.

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