ABSTRACT
Over the last few years the archaeological involvement in the holy places of Jerusalem has become a focus of professional and public concern. Archaeology has held a central place in the political and public debate between Israelis and Palestinians over the management and ownership of the of the complex known to the Jews as Har HaBayit-the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif-the Noble Sanctuary2 while the question of the site’s archaeological protection became aggravated following the destruction of archaeological layers by the Islamic waqf (Supreme Muslim Council) between 1996 and 2001 during construction work.3
