Israel exploits archaeological analysis in Palestine to broaden its occupation within the area, distorts information and findings consistent with its agenda, a theologian who focuses on spiritual archaeology mentioned.
“Most nation-states have ideologically utilized archaeology, but what sets Israel apart is the much sharper contours it possesses,” mentioned Dr. Bilal Toprak, a college member at Düzce University in northwestern Türkiye.
“First and foremost, while other nation-states seek to preserve their locations, Israel pursues the claim of ownership over land it has not inhabited for 2,000 years. In doing so, it has employed archaeology as a weapon of colonization, denial, and erasure,” Toprak instructed Anadolu Agency (AA).
He argued that European Jewish individuals had chosen Palestine as a Jewish homeland for its “motivating aspect.”
“They believed they would gather there when the Messiah came.” Toprak mentioned Zionism, holy scriptures, and faith have been “instrumentalized.”
He pointed to Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion who he mentioned was an in any other case secular politician however made spiritual statements after assuming workplace.
Archaeology was indispensable for Ben Gurion, Toprak defined, serving “as a bridge to strengthen ties of current Israeli Jews to the ancient Jewish people. This strengthens the bond between the nation and the ‘homeland.'”
Tool for occupation, colonization
Toprak underlined the significance of locations’ names in colonization efforts, noting that Israel has used Hebrew and Biblical names for a lot of areas dominated by Muslims for about 1,000 years.
“Only buildings associated to Judeo-Christian historical past have been targeted on. Hebrew names got to areas within the Negev and Arava areas.
“Once considered ’empty slates,’ Palestinian territories had been transformed into Jewish lands by the 1950s, with hardly any remnants left of Palestinian villages,” mentioned the Islamic scholar.
According to Toprak, the traditional mountaintop fortress of Masada in southeastern Israel is one instance of Tel Aviv utilizing archaeology as a device for occupation and colonization.
“In the Sixties, (Israeli) Commander Yigael Yadin reminded individuals of the Jewish individuals who resisted the Romans on the fortress of Masada. He talked about how lots of of individuals resisted and selected to commit suicide as an alternative of surrendering to the Roman troopers, thereby making historical past.
“The slogan ‘Masada shall not fall again’ is still used by soldiers in Israel against the Arabs. Yadin conducted excavations here to prove the legend, but only 25 graves were reached. No instances of suicide were found in any of them,” he added.
Erasing Palestinian tradition
Toprak mentioned Israel has additionally sought to take away the cultural cloth of Palestinians in areas it controls.
Forests have been planted the place as soon as Palestinian villages stood in West Jerusalem, for example, he famous, pointing to the Forest of the Martyrs on town’s outskirts, planted in 1951 by the Jewish National Fund.
Efforts to legitimize occupation with archaeological information have continued because the days of British management of Palestine, Toprak mentioned.
Established in Britain in 1865, the Palestine Exploration Fund despatched Thomas Lawrence, also called Lawrence of Arabia, to map the area, Toprak mentioned. “The president of the Palestine Exploration Fund, the Bishop of York William Thomson said that if one really wants to understand the Bible, they must first understand the land where it was first written.”
According to Toprak, the foundations of Zionism have been laid because of American theologian and archaeologist William Albright within the Twenties.
“Albright said that settler societies were able to survive thanks to occupation, expulsion and ethnic cleansing. This was a huge opportunity for the Zionist occupiers,” he mentioned.
“Albright, who emphasized the superiority of the Judeo-Christian experience, drew a connection between the sacred land experience of the U.S. and the myth of Jewish people returning to Palestine. Making the claim of a ‘chosen land for the chosen nation,’ Albright based his evaluations not on actual archaeological data but on the Bible.”
Emphasizing that archaeology is likely one of the most necessary instruments for decoding, understanding and setting up the previous, Toprak argued that even the names of museums in Israel confirmed it successfully use archaeology with names just like the Israel Museum, Museum of the Jewish People, and Bible Lands Museum.
“Periodizations such as the ‘Israeli era,’ ‘Hebrew era’ are made. Through this, they claim to have been a great civilization in the past and assert their ownership of the lands they currently occupy.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
