May 2018 - Silwan with "Emek Shaveh"

Our tour was led by Yoni Mizrahi from Emek Shaveh , which is “an Israeli NGO working to defend cultural heritage rights and to protect ancient sites as public assets that belong to members of all communities, faiths and peoples.” (Emek Shaveh website, 2018).

Silwan is a Palestinian neighborhood just south of the Old City. It’s also the site of the City of David, an Israeli settlement and archaeological site which is thought to be the ancient original urban core of Jerusalem. This tour focused on the role of archaeology in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its effect on planning in the area.

Wadi Kidron (credit Tirtza Finkel)

The site was first explored by British and German archaeologists in the late 19th century, who were the first to assert that the area could be the site of the biblical City of David. The Gihon spring below is thought to have been one of the reasons the original Jerusalem was located where it was, in addition to the proximity of nearby Mount Moriah, today the site of the Dome of the Rock/Haram Al Sharif. Archeologists in the 1920’s found evidence that dated the area to the Bronze age. Israel began excavating the site in the 1970s following East Jerusalem’s capture in 1967, and identified the site as the original Jerusalem, specifically the site of King David’s palace, a claim which is contested by some scholars today. In 1997 the site became managed by the Ir David Foundation, but is considered a national park. Since the management change, the park has expanded and become a top tourist destination.

 City of David (credit Emek Shaveh)

 

In recent years Jewish Israeli settlers have began moving to the area with the help of government support. The government provides improved infrastructure, security systems and guards, and is even building a brand new park in the bottom of the valley. Settler homes are connected by an attractive alleyway leading from the City of David compound down to the valley floor to the exit point of Hezekiah’s tunnels. Visitors can easily visit the City of David, explore the tunnels, and return without setting foot in Palestinian Silwan.

Across the street from the City of David, excavations are underway at the Givati parking lot, and more are planned in other areas close to the Old City. These digs effectively create a barrier between Al Aqsa mosque and the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, making it more difficult and time consuming to get there.

Givati parking lot excavation (credit Tirza Finkel) 

 

Besides offering a clear, side by side example of neglect by the municipality, the City of David/Silwan example shows how history and archeology are used as a political tool to manage planning outcomes in East Jerusalem. The claim that the area was the site of King David’s palace works to strengthen Jewish ownership over Jerusalem, garner support for increased settlement in East Jerusalem, and justify government support of a Jewish presence, often at the expense of the Palestinian Jerusalemites living next door. Though investigating Jerusalem's past is undoubtably important, the antiquities law that allows the government to declare an ancient site is too easily able to be used as a tool to “demographically” manage the city, especially in East Jerusalem.

End of the tour picnic and discussion (credit Miriam Fisher) 

 

We ended our tour in a rare quiet, green space inside the Old City. Over our customary picnic of fruits, crackers, and hummus, we discussed insights from the tour. Most participants commented on the fact that they would have liked to go deeper into Palestinian Silwan, to see how the neighborhood functions. This point illustrates exactly the divisive side effects of archeology in Jerusalem, intended or not.