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Last update - 14:13 12/10/2007
The City of David, below and above ground
By Danny Rubinstein

The uncovering of ancient sites currently taking place on the City of David hill, on the slope south of the wall around Jerusalem's Old City, is almost certainly the most impressive archaeological enterprise in Israel today. During a visit there during the Sukkot holiday, one could see thousands of visitors, tourists from abroad and Israelis. They toured the visitors' center on top of the hill, descended to the large area of Warren's Shaft, named after Charles Warren, the famous Welsh officer and researcher of Jerusalem who discovered the shaft 140 years ago, and continued from there to the relatively new digs at the Silwan Pool. Anyone who made an effort could peer through the fence at the deep digs being carried out in the area called Givati parking lot, and in another area that extends southward on the slope.

The discoveries are fascinating: sections of ancient streets, water projects that have been in place since they were constructed over 2,000 years ago, remains of palaces that are hard to identify because on the City of David hill about 20 stages of settlement have been found, dating from its founding until the Middle Ages.

The discoveries involve a series of problems, almost all of them political. Because Jerusalem will be central to the negotiations to be renewed shortly between Israel and the Palestinians, these problems must be addressed.
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The digs at the site are being conducted by archaeologists, with authority and permission, but the administration of the various sites is in effect in the hands of the Elad association (a Hebrew acronym for To the City of David), which was established more than 20 years ago and whose goal is to settle Jews on the site. There are similar associations that purchase assets and settle Jews (mainly yeshiva students) in Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, and these things are known. However, there is nothing like this association, which has become an empire of archaeology and tourism. It is headed by David (Davideleh) Beeri, an energetic man who is succeeding in raising money and enlisting support, and his work has expanded the activity of the association relating to archaeology and tourism beyond the City of David as well.

The deliberate settling of Jews in the heart of East Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods is an unacceptable act of incitement. Thirty years ago Mohammed Said Burkan wanted to buy a house in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and his request was denied. He turned to the High Court of Justice, and Justice Haim Cohen, who rejected his request, determined that there was no discrimination in the fact that the Jews would have a quarter of their own, as in the past. "Each quarter and its ethnic group," wrote the justice. After the state denied Burkan, why shouldn't the Arab neighborhoods remain Arab?

The settlers of Elad on the outskirts of the village of Silwan acquired mainly houses and land purchased at the time by Baron Rothschild. The same is being done by similar associations in East Jerusalem, which locate land and assets purchased before 1948 by Jews and demand ownership of them. The Arabs, on the other hand, cannot demand assets they owned in Jerusalem?s Katamon neighborhood, in Jaffa, in Haifa and all over Israel, because in the 1950s the Knesset passed a retroactive law that is far from being a credit to our law books, and that prevents Arabs from receiving their property.

Although the settlement of Elad in Silwan is unacceptable, there is no reason to object to the archaeological digs that are taking place under Elad?s sponsorship. This is in effect a continuation of the comprehensive archaeological research being done in the Jewish Quarter, at the southern wall of the Temple Mount, and in other locations in East Jerusalem. Some people claim that the members of Elad are exploiting archaeology, enlisting it to their political needs, converting it by searching for Jewish remains only. That may be. But who can remain unmoved by the important addition to the study of Jerusalem's past that is now being revealed by the City of David digs?

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  1.   More BS from Danny Rubinstein - a supporter of Oslo & Itnatkut 12:42  |  Oiy Oiy Oiy 12/10/07
  2.   The hypocrisy of Danny Rubinstein 12:58  |  Jonathan S 12/10/07
  3.   Arab settlement on City of David is incitement 13:10  |  AV 12/10/07
  4.   Mosque on holiest Jewish site is incitement 13:11  |  AV 12/10/07
  5.   Jonathan`s hypocricy 13:16  |  truth 12/10/07
  6.   DOES THIS IMBECILE THINK ANYONE TAKES HIM SERIOUSLY? 13:21  |  paul harris 12/10/07
  7.   Jews have no right.... 13:27  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  8.   Danny supports "yudenfry" policy 13:38  |  Gene 12/10/07
  9.   "Hannah" 13:59  |  shpritz 12/10/07
  10.   Thank you Danny 13:59  |  Nick Ferriman 12/10/07
  11.   Danny, your story is a shmate 14:07  |  shpritz 12/10/07
  12.   Hannah dear, you are too late 14:24  |  Jonathan S 12/10/07
  13.   No discrimination? 14:27  |  Wiktor 12/10/07
  14.   JERUSALEM SHOULD HAVE MADE ALL JEWISH 40 YEARS AGO)))) 14:50  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 12/10/07
  15.   Hannah -- what does it mean to you that... 14:51  |  bbl 12/10/07
  16.   BY DENYING JEWS THE RIGHT TO SETTLE IN JERUSALEM ZIONISTS PROMOTE 14:53  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 12/10/07
  17.   The Jewish People Can Do Alot Better. 14:55  |  Ibrahim 12/10/07
  18.   Danny Rubinstein 15:02  |  Ralph 12/10/07
  19.   Jews WILL LOSE MORE Than They Gain With These Practices! 15:12  |  Proud Pal Defender 12/10/07
  20.   time for a change of name danny? 15:26  |  victor hardman 12/10/07
  21.   Fair treatment. 15:52  |  M. Franks-Lhermann 12/10/07
  22.   its more than that 15:57  |  ravi 12/10/07
  23.   Archaeology 16:02  |  Joseph 12/10/07
  24.   Very poor effort, Haaretz 16:10  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  25.   #13 Ibrahim 16:14  |  Labhras 12/10/07
  26.   #16 Hardhead /Paul Harris calls for a name change. 16:18  |  Labhras 12/10/07
  27.   It wasnt Arab neighborhood until Jews expelled in 20s 16:23  |  David 12/10/07
  28.   Rubinstein doesn`t own a dictionary? 16:30  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  29.   Divided we stand 16:51  |  Tosefta 12/10/07
  30.   Danny Rubinstein and his incitements 17:27  |  Amnon Hacohen 12/10/07
  31.   #6 Nick Ferriman and double standards 18:06  |  Yonatan 12/10/07
  32.   Return the Arab population of Jerusalem to what it was in 1967 18:08  |  Yonatan 12/10/07
  33.   Mr Rubinstein v the State of Israel 18:16  |  Claie G 12/10/07
  34.   Rubinstein`s leftist dictionary 18:22  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  35.   Jerusalem or Jebus belongs to Benjamin! 18:26  |  Paul 12/10/07
  36.   unfortunately, rubinstein is living in the past 18:32  |  david 12/10/07
  37.   Danny Rubinstein & Jerusalem 18:42  |  Arthur G 12/10/07
  38.   Ibrahim - the Old City is almost a ghost town? 18:58  |  Polybios 12/10/07
  39.   # 18 Danny Rubinstein 19:03  |  Shelly N 12/10/07
  40.   #9, Shpritz to Hannah... 19:42  |  Silvienne 12/10/07
  41.   #12, Jonathan S, not many points for you either.. 19:44  |  Silvienne 12/10/07
  42.   An 1928 Newspaper qouted: 20:18  |  Sandman 12/10/07
  43.   Polybios-you have low standards. 20:19  |  Ibrahim 12/10/07
  44.   Arab have plenty of neighborhoods, thanks Danny! 20:26  |  Mark Hamil 12/10/07
  45.   There should be no problem 20:27  |  KUTW 12/10/07
  46.   re#2. The hypocrisy of Danny Rubinstein 20:42  |  Mark Hamil 12/10/07
  47.   The incitement of Rubinstein 20:56  |  Emanuel C 12/10/07
  48.   Jerusalem & Rubinstein 21:00  |  Maureen J 12/10/07
  49.   Labhras, best of luck to you! 21:02  |  Ibrahim 12/10/07
  50.   The City of David and D Rubinstein 21:10  |  Shmuel G 12/10/07
  51.   Rubinstein 21:21  |  Solomon ben Oded 12/10/07
  52.   4. AV: Mosque on holiest Jewish site is incitement 21:37  |  KUTW 12/10/07
  53.   # 47 the City of David & Rubinstein 22:24  |  Rahamim S 12/10/07
  54.   Arab settlements in S. Tel-Aviv, C. Haifa are incitement 22:27  |  Genuine Tosefta 12/10/07
  55.   Ibrahim doing some very unsuccesful spinning 22:49  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/10/07
  56.   Hannah squatting on a Jewish website 22:51  |  Hannah 12/10/07
  57.   Ibrahim and low tactics 22:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/10/07
  58.   One 00:17  |  Salty 13/10/07
  59.   Jebus Belongs to Everyone 00:42  |  Canaanite Consortium 13/10/07
  60.   #6 - running yourself down again, Harris? 00:54  |  Don Camillo 13/10/07
  61.   #HARRIS - IF FOLK THINK YOU ARE A FOOL....... 00:56  |  Don Camillo 13/10/07
  62.   Jerusalem is officially a corpus separatum and has been since 00:59  |  Don Camillo 13/10/07
  63.   Ibrahim, not just you who was in the old city 02:30  |  Tamir Palestine 13/10/07
  64.   Rubinstein`s Rite 02:59  |  ron 13/10/07
  65.   #49 Ibrahim 03:25  |  Labhras 13/10/07
  66.   There will only be "jewish remains".. pals, give up E.J. go Amman 03:43  |  mary for jews 13/10/07
  67.   Taking others` land 04:00  |  Richard Witty 13/10/07
  68.   Let the yeshiva students stay 04:41  |  Neil 13/10/07
  69.   Margie, I can tell you are newcomer to Israel 05:22  |  Ibrahim 13/10/07
  70.   Margie, on Jerusalem 05:25  |  Ibrahim 13/10/07
  71.   Labhras 05:29  |  Ibrahim 13/10/07
  72.   Incitement ?!?!?! 05:42  |  David 13/10/07
  73.   Incitement to Danny 05:49  |  David 13/10/07
  74.   #61, Don Camillo... 05:57  |  Silvienne 13/10/07
  75.   #56, FAKE HANNAH ALERT!!! 05:58  |  Hannah 13/10/07
  76.   #49, Ibrahim...to Labhras 06:01  |  Silvienne 13/10/07
  77.   #65, Labhras... 06:02  |  Silvienne 13/10/07
  78.   Poor Ghastly Impostor #29 divided with herself as she hates Arabs 06:16  |  Genuine Tosefta 13/10/07
  79.   Ibrahim: bad judgement all the way through 08:50  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 13/10/07
  80.   Ibrahim 08:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 13/10/07
  81.   Ibrahim this is very repetitive 09:01  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 13/10/07
  82.