Boycotting the Bible: Israeli archaeologists punished for uncovering biblical sites

Several Israeli archaeologists confirmed that these journals routinely reject research conducted in Judea and Samaria — policies that align with the broader anti-Israel BDS movement.

By Anna Epshtein, TPS

In the hills of Judea and Samaria, where biblical figures once walked, modern archaeologists face a dilemma that has nothing to do with the ancient past they seek to uncover.

Israeli researchers find themselves effectively blacklisted by the international academic community, unable to publish findings from some of history’s most significant sites.

The politics-driven policies of the academic archaeological world result in the erasure of biblical history, while the Palestinian Authority’s deliberate efforts to wipe out evidence of the Jewish connection to the land imperil sites of tremendous historical value.

“I know that I won’t be able to publish the results of my study in any of the leading publications,” says Dvir Raviv, an archaeologist from Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan.

He recently completed the first season of excavations at Sartaba (Alexandrium) in the Jordan Valley, a fortress built by Hasmonean rulers around 100 BCE.

Raviv’s experience is not unique. Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted research in the same area four decades ago, but their findings never reached international journals either.

The academic boycott stems from the complex status of Judea and Samaria, captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 and viewed as occupied by most of the world.

The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property limits archaeological activities by occupying powers, allowing only “salvage excavations” to preserve threatened sites.

Visitors arrive at Sebastia National Park in Samaria on Oct. 16, 2019. Sebastia was the capital of the Israelite Kingdom during the reigns of Omri and Ahab. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS

Soon after the Six-Day War in 1967, Israeli archaeologists did some research in Judea and Samaria.

The altar believed to be built by the Prophet Joshua was uncovered by Prof. Adam Zartal in the Jordan Valley.

Excavations were held in Shiloh, the ancient capital of Israel, and in Herodion, a fortified desert palace built by Herod the Great.

But since the Oslo Accords of 1993 divided Judea and Samaria into three administrative zones, two generations of Israeli archaeologists have been almost absent from areas of the biblical heartland. Israel only has civil control over locations designated as Area C.

“If you look at the map of excavations in Israel, you will see a great number of dots inside the Green Line and just a few – in Judea and Samaria. It distorts the whole picture. It’s like studying the culture of modern Tel Aviv by what happens only in the suburbs,” Moshe Gutman, chairman of “Preserving the Eternal,” an Israeli non-profit focused on archaeological preservation in Judea and Samaria, told TPS-IL.

“Clever Boycott”

The Israeli government has been trying to change the equation. In February, the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with leading universities, organized the first international conference “Archaeology and site conservation in Judea and Samaria.”

The event was a success for archaeology, but participants were blacklisted in international academic circles.

One of the conference speakers who asked not to be named out of fear that it could harm him further, told TPS-IL that he was kicked off a major project in another country and was explicitly told the reason was his participation in the conference.

Dr. Haskel Greenfield, co-director of Near Eastern and Biblical Archaeology Laboratory of the University of Manitoba in Canada, who presented his findings from excavations in Shiloh at the same conference, told TPS-IL he knew his participation “will be used against me by colleagues when they review my grant proposals or article submissions.”

He also told TPS-IL he was kicked off a project in Egypt several years ago because of his visible ties with Israel.

Antiquities of the Jewish community in Hebron on Dec. 29, 2015. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS

“I was asked to analyze material from two famous sites in Egypt – Giza and Amarna — and received initial clearance from the Egyptian antiquity authority to join the projects. But a few days before my departure from Canada to Egypt, I received an email telling me that I was removed from the list of approved people by the internal security authority. I was the only person out of 80 on the Giza project to be removed. My student was allowed to go,” Dr. Greenfield recalled.

“This boycott is very clever,” said Gutman. “After having publications rejected repeatedly, archaeologists learn to avoid Judea and Samaria entirely. The scientific community is effectively driven away from the area.”

Two leading peer-reviewed archaeological publications — the Palestine Exploration Quarterly and the Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research — did not respond to requests for comment.

Several Israeli archaeologists interviewed by TPS-IL confirmed that these journals routinely reject research conducted in Judea and Samaria — policies that align with the broader anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS for short.

“Biblical Heartland Critically Understudied”

The boycott creates cascading effects throughout the research pipeline, the researchers explained to TPS-IL.

“To begin excavations, you need funding from foundations reluctant to support research they know won’t be published,” Raviv said.

“Researchers avoid projects that could damage their careers. When professors abandon this area, hundreds of students follow suit. The biblical heartland remains critically understudied. To me, it’s an opportunity. But to humanity, it’s a loss.”

Judea and Samaria contain sites fundamental to biblical archaeology. Hebron is the burial site of biblical patriarchs and was King David’s capitol city. Shiloh is where the Tabernacle stood until King Solomon completed the First Temple.

Abraham built an altar in the area of Shechem (Nablus), while outside the city are Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where the Hebrews invoked a series of blessings and curses after entering the Holy Land.

Nearby is Sebastia, the capital of the Israelite Kingdom during the reigns of Omri and Ahab with its temples and palaces.

Judea and Samaria also contain remains from nearly every period of human history — from prehistoric settlements to Canaanite city-states, Israelite kingdoms, and the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Ottoman periods.

Yet many sites and excavations documenting this continuous human presence receive minimal scientific attention.

Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist from Hebrew University told TPS-IL he has abandoned efforts to internationally publish his findings from excavations in Hyrcania. He has been studying the Judean Desert site where Second Temple period fortifications built by the Hasmoneans were discovered.

“I’ll publish in Israeli publications instead,” he said. “Those interested will still find the information.”

Excavations at ancient Tel Shiloh, veiled in morning mist on Oct. 13, 2019. Shiloh is best known as the location where the Tabernacle stood before King Solomon built the First Temple. Photo by Shlomo Matityahu/TPS

Said Gutman, “Even if you consider Israel an occupying power—which I dispute—every excavation here qualifies as salvage. The Palestinian Authority actively destroys sites that demonstrate Jewish connection to this land.”

A Preserving the Eternal’s survey found that 80% of archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria have been partially or completely destroyed in the past three decades, though these claims are disputed by Palestinian officials who maintain they protect all cultural heritage regardless of origin.

Dr. Scott Stripling, an American archaeologist directing excavations at Shiloh for the Associates for Biblical Research, faces publication barriers despite his non-Israeli citizenship.

“The boycott isn’t absolute,” he told TPS-IL. “Truly extraordinary findings might get published, but first reports face strict rejection. Only when placed in a broader historical context might editors be more lenient.”

He argues the reasons for boycott are solely political and harm science. “Believe it or not, I do not have political views. I’m studying the early formation of the Israelite state, and Shiloh is essential for this research. If I wait for Middle East peace, my work will never be completed.”

Israeli lawmaker Amit Halevy has proposed extending the Israeli Antiquities Authority’s jurisdiction to Judea and Samaria, currently overseen by the Civil Administration’s Archaeology Staff Officer.

Proponents argue the move is necessary, since the Civil Administration is not equipped to deal with the challenges of preserving and excavating sites. Critics warn this move may get all Israeli archaeology banned from international cooperation.

What’s at stake is not just career opportunities for researchers, but pieces of human history that connect three major world religions to their origins.

artifactsBibleBiblical archaeologyIsrael Excavation