ABSTRACT

East Jerusalem lives in ‘legal limbo.’ Excavators there are immune from legal procedures in Israel, but transgress International Law and ethics. So far, criticism has concentrated on the tunnelling. We analyze articles that present the archaeology of East Jerusalem in a favourable light, usually by limiting the discussion to ‘professional’ excavations and reports. This discourse offers a perception of moral principles in order to mask economic and political aims. Nice finds and skilled excavating become a proof of ‘being ethical.’ Reading carefully, we see how these authors present the Palestinians as anonymous ‘innocent locals,’ fit only for hard manual labour. They equate lack of access to a library with loss of home and becoming refugees for life. They tell jokes about violation of democratic Laws by tunnelling in private property of Palestinians. They promote an Apartheid view of scholarship (Jews should study the First and Second Temple periods, Christians the time of Jesus …). They ‘stress’ our periods and ‘ignore’ theirs in publications – an extension of preserving ‘our’ remains and removing ‘theirs.’ Archaeological ethics concern not just remains, but the relationships of archaeologists to people. . In areas of conflict, ethical archaeologists cannot ignore International Law in favour of political convictions.