False past horizons28 Archaeologists Make History Negotiations lead to first agreement on region’s archaeological riches By Meg Sullivan & Edward North- Hager Jerusalem: The Old City and the City of David ( credit: Brian Negin)

False 29past horizons After three years of tense negotiations, the Israeli- Palestinian Archaeology Working Group has produced a 39- point document of recommendations, which was formally presented to 50 Israeli archaeologists in April this year at a four- hour conference at the Van Leer Institute. “ Israelis and Palestinians never previously had sat down to achieve a structured, balanced agreement to govern the region’s archaeological heritage,” said Dodd, a lecturer in religion and curator of USC’s Archaeological Research Collection. “ Our group got together with the vision of a future when people wouldn’t be at each other’s throats and archaeology would need to be protected, irrespective of which side of the border it falls on.” At issue is control of all archaeological material recovered inside the borders of a future Palestinian state. Palestinians have expressed the desire to control such resources within their boundaries. However, since the 1967 War, Israelis have excavated extensively in the West Bank, deciding where to excavate then removing the artefacts to storage facilities controlled by the Israeli Civil Administration. “ Archaeology sometimes has been used as a reason to curtail the natural expansion and refurbishing of Palestinian villages and towns,” said Dodd. “ The combination of military, economic and archaeological barriers to prosperity in Palestinian villages caused great resistance to archaeological- heritage preservation among segments of the Palestinian population. “ Prominent Palestinian archaeologists report that for some Palestinians, looting of artefacts becomes a means of resistance to the Israeli occupation.” Israel- born Boytner, director for international research at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, added, “ According to international law, if there is a future Palestinian state, the Israelis will have to return all archaeological artifacts to the Palestinian state. “ That, for the [ Israeli] right wing, would be a major rallying point to oppose the peace process. Therefore, archaeology could be a deal- breaker in future peace negotiations.” continued ? ? Israelis and Palestinians may not be able to agree on their present or future, but, if a pair of Los Angeles archaeologists have their way, they will soon see eye to eye on their past. For the past fi ve years Ran Boytner, an archaeologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Lynn Swartz Dodd, archaeologist at the University of Southern California, have guided a team of prominent Israeli and Palestinian archaeologists to arrive at the fi rst- ever agreement on the disposition of the region’s archaeological treasures following the establishment of a future Palestinian state. Above: Archaeologists discuss a site within the new agreement. Top right: Lynn Dodd and Ran Boytner photographs by Meg Sullivan