More Elad controversy

POLITICS: The Elad controversy continues.

Leftists in Last-Minute Bid to Halt Ir David Excavations

After failing to halt the Elad organization's archaeological work at Ir David, leftists are decrying the 'privatization of archaeology'.

by David Lev
First Publish: 8/30/2011, 11:37 PM (Arutz Sheva)

A group of 150 archaeologists and students sent a petition Tuesday to Environment Minister Gilad Erdan and Sport and Culture Minister Limor Livnat, asking them to drop their support for a law that formalizes private archaeological digs and research at national parks and historical sites. The petition says that the law would “politicize archaeology in Israel and damage the independence of researchers," and calls for the ministers to oppose the "privatization of archaeology," which, they write, would be the death knell of archaeology in Israel.

But supporters of the law said that there were already hundreds of independent and private groups conducting archaeological research around the country. In fact, supporters say, there is only one dig that the group is interested in halting – the one going on in Ir David (the City of David), conducted by the Elad organization.

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For background links and a rather different take on the current controversy, see here.