Excavation of a tunnel under the Jerusalem Old City walls Near the Western Wall plaza
In recent months, the Israeli Antiquities Authority has excavated a tunnel connecting the archeological site in Silwan (City of David) to the Davidson Center archeological park at the southern edge of the Temple Mount (See at the link: http://www.alt-arch.org/jerusalem_map.php ). The excavated tunnel follows an ancient road dating back to the Roman period and starting in the village of Silwan. The tunnel was excavated without public knowledge and without any available information about its route and its aim.
Emek Shaveh tried in the past to bring public attention to this and other tunnels excavated in Silwan. This project, part of which is funded by settlers' organizations, brings archaeology into the very heart of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict with regard to Jerusalem.
Emek Shaveh regards this excavation, carried out by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), as an unnecessary provocation which hurts archeological research and its public status. IAA has been acting in secret, disregarding for the accepted norms of the scientific research, and without any public and academic debate, thus turning the archeological research into the tool used by ideological organizations. This activity can lead to explosive consequences.
It is important that the archeological research in the Holy Basin (which includes the Old City, the Kidron Valley and Silwan) is carried out in cooperation with the public and the academia, and in a fully transparent way as the status of the world heritage site demands.
