The Impact of Israeli Occupation on the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: The Case of 'Salvage Excavations'

Abstract

Palestinian archaeological sites are among the most excavated and fragile sites in the world. After Israel occupied the Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in 1967, the responsibility for archaeology was placed in the hands of the Israeli military, exacerbating the deterioration of Palestinian heritage. International law has been breached and Palestinian heritage abused by countless illegal Israeli archaeological investigations, destruction of heritage sites, and illicit trafficking of artefacts. Although The Hague Convention (UNESCO 1954) is an important tool for protecting the heritage of occupied people, it has a vague definition of 'salvage excavation'. Israel has used this vagueness to serve its illegal actions of building settlements and roads, and the destruction of archaeological sites in the OPTs.In 2000, during the al-Aqsa Intifada, Palestinian heritage was destroyed by the military operations of the Israeli army. They deliberately demolished the historic centres of Nablus and Hebron, and subsequently constructed the separation wall inside the OPTs, causing unprecedented and irreversible damage to Palestinian heritage. The separation wall also cuts off hundreds of archaeological sites annexed to Israel or to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.International law considers it the explicit duty of Israel, since they are the occupying power, to combat clandestine excavation and to conserve and protect Palestinian heritage. Since 1967, Israel has monopolised archaeological activities in the OPTs, without taking into consideration basic protection and conservation means used worldwide. Thus the basic human rights of Palestinians have been violated and their heritage severely damaged, depriving them of appropriately conserving, investigating, and enjoying their own heritage.