The full letter reads:

 

To:

Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister

MK Zvi Sukkot, Chair of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee

Members of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee

 

 

We are addressing you as scientists and scholars whose professional and personal lives have been devoted to the field of archaeology: to excavations, the discovery of findings, and research into questions of archaeology, culture, and heritage, as well as related disciplines connected to archaeological research. We have been awarded national and international recognition for our scholarly work. This country is dear to us, and archaeological research is our guiding principle. In light of the broad harm to science and research that is expected to result from the proposed legislation, the President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Vice President, and the Chair of the Humanities Division join us in this appeal.

 

As members of the Academy, our perspective is guided by the extent of the harm or benefit that the proposed legislation may bring to science.

 

There is no dispute regarding the importance of preserving antiquities in the State of Israel and in the territories of Judea and Samaria. Serious phenomena, such as the theft of antiquities and the desecration of archaeological sites, must be condemned and denounced, and the law must be enforced against offenders. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that Israeli science has, in recent years, been subjected to an unprecedented international campaign against it. Israeli scientists are increasingly losing support, opportunities for collaboration, and large-scale funding. Every branch of Israeli science is important in this context, as damage to one field creates a chain reaction that harms others. Archaeology occupies an important place within this system.

 

The enactment of a special law establishing a statutory corporation with authority over enforcement and archaeological and heritage research in Judea and Samaria, under the auspices of the Ministry of Heritage, will be perceived in the political and academic worlds as an act of annexation in the Judea and Samaria areas. This will undoubtedly lead to an immediate deterioration in Israel’s international relations in the field of archaeology, and it will also affect other areas of science and research.

 

We therefore call upon the government and the Committee to refrain from advancing the proposed legislation and to leave the field of archaeology in Judea and Samaria in the hands of the Staff Officer for Archaeology Unit, which operates within the framework of the Civil Administration in close cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority. The unit should be strengthened through increased budgets and personnel, and educational components should be added to its activities, as is already being done in part by the Ministry of Heritage. Such measures would provide an appropriate response to the problems that led the sponsors of the bill to propose the establishment of a new authority, while avoiding the severe damage expected from establishing it as a governmental body.

 

The purpose of archaeological science is to reconstruct the history of humanity and human society in all periods, and it approaches different cultures and religions with respect and sensitivity. It is clear that Jewish heritage is a central value in archaeological activity throughout all parts of the Land of Israel, and we fully support emphasizing it in research and making it accessible to the broader public. As many resources as possible should be devoted to this subject. Nevertheless, this does not justify the establishment of an independent authority that would separate archaeology from all other areas administered in Judea and Samaria and cause harm to archaeological science in particular and to Israeli science in general.

 

We therefore call upon you not to advance the proposed bill and to cancel the plan to establish a separate authority on this matter within the Ministry of Heritage.

Respectfully,

Prof. (Emeritus) Prof. Benjamin Henri Isaac, Academy Member, Tel Aviv University

Prof. Guy Bar-Oz, Academy Member, University of Haifa

Prof. Michal Biran, Academy Member, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. (Emerita) Naama Goren-Inbar, Academy Member, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Avner Holtzman, Chairperson of the Humanities Division of the Academy, Tel Aviv University

Prof. David Harel, President of the Academy, Weizmann Institute of Science

Prof. (Emeritus) Emanuel Tov, Academy Member, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Amihai Mazar, Academy Member, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. (Emeritus) Nadav Na’aman, Academy Member, Tel Aviv University

Prof. (Emerita) Margalit Finkelberg, Vice President of the Academy, Tel Aviv University

Prof. Israel Finkelstein, Academy Member, Tel Aviv University and University of Haifa

Prof. (Emeritus) Benjamin Z. Kedar, Academy Member, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Chair of the Israel Antiquities Authority Council, 2000–2012)

Prof. (Emeritus) Yoel Rak, Academy Member, Tel Aviv University