Archaeology and the struggle for Jerusalem
"I love traveling, and when I travel, I have a guide, and here in Jerusalem, and this book is a guide Tanah, and the Bible."
This guide is how Asher Altshul such as rounds and a wide-ranging in the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem.
Site extends along the hills and down one of Jerusalem, just outside the old city.
Hundreds of tourists. Most of the Jewish people from countries all over the world, including the Schneider family from Los Angeles.
Father, Avshalom, he said to come here is a must.
"You feel like you walk in the stone of our ancestors walked, and this is an important part of Jewish education for my children," he told me.
The Israeli establishment, which runs the city of David aims to enhance communication Jewish Jerusalem in the modern era by emphasizing old ties.
In this case is David, king of the Jewish people for three thousand years. Some historians believe that this was the site of palace of King David.
But archeology and became a challenge in this debate.
The battle for supremacy
The City of David excavations, with underground tunnels and pools of old, revolving around the Palestinian area of Silwan. It is in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967.
About 40,000 Palestinians living in oblivion. Some families have been here for generations. They say that Israel is now less than archaeological dig, but instead of political claims on the ground.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israel says it intends to keep the whole city to hold.
The battle for sovereignty over Jerusalem to go to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Musa Odeh guided me through the writing on the walls, rich, and winding alleys of the garden in the neighborhood of Silwan.
About one hundred houses here, as Moses the family home, and served with demolition orders for illegal construction.
But Palestinians say the Israeli authorities make it impossible for them to obtain building permits in Jerusalem.
Moussa said in the City of David archaeological excavations also weakened the structure of many houses in Silwan.
A local school for girls in the past year partly collapsed, injuring 17 students. Population and attributed the accident to the archaeologists tunnels running through the village.
They say the tunnels being one year after the gaps appeared in the streets of the Sloane different after heavy rains.
Moses is to insist that this is part of an Israeli plan to expel Palestinians from Jerusalem.
A hive of activity
In the last major dig in Silwan and the City of David site is a hive of activity.
Effects of students from all over the world are drilling, dust, and display of artifacts found here
Land here is privately owned by Elad, an association also funds the Israeli Jewish settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.
However, archaeologists are monitoring the state and the City of David excavations, this is not of concern.
John Seligman worked for the Israeli Antiquities Authority for years. He told me that it was not his job to agree or disagree with the political motivation of the sponsors of an archaeological site.
He said the Antiquities Authority excavations have also led to the Vatican, and Endowments, Islamic Board, which runs the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem.
"The work we are doing here is not looking for heritage, especially from the one or the other, and we believe it is, and show what is," said Mr. Seligman.
"Here in this site and see that we have the Arabic of the period, from the Roman era, and the first and second temple, everything is displayed on an equal footing, as is the case in the future," he added.
Not all Israeli archaeologists agree with Mr. Seligman.
Yonatan Mizrahi is the alternative, which is crucial to travel around the city of David, and solace.
As an archaeologist, former Antiquities Authority, who worked in East Jerusalem, and he told me he saw first-hand how Israel and Jewish interests in some cases, the use of archeology as a political tool.
Mr. Mizrahi, the effects are about learning from the past, but individuals then choose how to interpret the past.
"A religion or a different site excavations and one can look and say - This is our country," said Mr. Mizrahi.
But he qualified this by saying, even if the archaeologists had a large banner, which read "hello to you in the palace of King David," that Israeli Jews will not give the right to East Jerusalem today to find the claim.
"When you're along the lines of the Vatican to find anything here, not the church the right to acquire ownership of the country. The bottom line is that the majority of Palestinians in East Jerusalem," said Mr. Mizrahi.
Jerusalem is the most fought over city in the world. Different countries and cultures, and found it difficult to control for thousands of years.
Israelis and Palestinians will tell you the struggle is still alive today.
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