Dr Nor Aishah Hanifa
Senior Lecturer, Department of Strategic Studies
National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Israel employs military and non-military strategies to fulfil its national interest and national security in the Middle East. For Israel, “war is an instrument of policy” in Palestine especially in Gaza. Israel also uses non-military strategies, particularly in crucial areas like Al-Quds. Israel uses archaeology as one of the “instrument of policy” in its strategy. We would wonder how Israel utilizes archaeology in its national interest when we believe on the traditional conception of archaeology. In general understanding, archaeology is a purely scientific and academic field. Archaeology also comes with certain ethics and reinforced by the domestic law and international law. But in the realist world, the noble character of archaeology often sacrificed for the state’s national interest. Realist states like Israel uses archaeology as an instrument in its territorial policy. In this regard Israel has been trying to achieve total sovereignty over the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif (TMH) vis-à-vis the Palestinians’ sovereignty by using archaeology as an instrument.
Palestinians call the mount as the Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). Israelis and Palestinians have overlapping claims over the Temple Mount based on their past historical narratives. For the Jews, the Temple Mount is the location of their 1st and 2nd temples in the past. The Jewish tradition says, the 1st temple built by the King Solomon (Prophet Suleiman in Islamic tradition) in 1000 BCE. The temple was destroyed in the Babylonian attack around 598 BCE led by King Nebuchadnezzar II. In 515 BCE, construction of the 2nd temple had been completed and renovated largely by the King Herod. It was destroyed again in 70 BCE. Jews believe that the temple remains are buried beneath the TMH. Especially the Al-Buraq Wall is the holiest site for the Jewish people. Meanwhile in Islamic tradition, the TMH is a holy site connected with the Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey. Muslims believe that Prophet landed at the Haram al-Sharif with his heaven vehicle, “Buraq” and performed a prayer before he was brought again to the heaven. Muslims celebrate the day as Isra’ and Mikraj. Overlapping claims over the TMH become one of the major issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since 1967, Israel has been using archaeology with clear objective to create Jewish cultural and heritage security in the holy land vis-à-vis Palestinian cultural and heritage security. Following the 6 Days War in 1967, Israel has been creating symbolic meanings through historical heritages to nurture patriotism and nationalism among the Jewish people towards the state of Israel. Archaeologists like Benjamin Mazar was glorified as a true nationalist by Israel. In fact Israeli archaeologists like Eilat Mazar, Gabriel Barkay, and Israel Finkelstein help Israel’s nationalism and patriotism. Israel also established the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) to carry out archaeological excavations in line with Israel’s national interest.
In this regard, Israel has been implementing two clear policies at the TMH in Al-Quds. One is the “Judaizing” policy and the other is the “de-Palestinian” policy, strongly connected with realism. Through Judaizing policy, historical artefacts are interpreted differently. Often truth on land is sacrificed to strengthen the Jewish tradition. Meanwhile in the “de-Palestinian” policy, Palestinians’ historical heritages have been slowly minimized or erased to reduce the future claim of the Palestinians over the TMH and Al-Quds. These two policies are significant characters in the right wing Israeli archaeology, supported by the IAA. These policies became vigorous in Al-Quds after the right-wing politics take the central stage in Israel. The Likud Party under Benjamin Netanyahu is famous for hawkish policies against the Palestinians. Netanyahu uses “denial syndrome” against the Palestinian heritages in Al-Quds and in the occupied territories. There are extensive archaeological excavations in Al-Quds and in the vicinity of the TMH. There are many projects, such as; the Beit Strauss project, Beit HaLiba project, Al-Buraq Wall Tunnel project, Kedem project, Generation Centre project, Mughrabi Gate Bridge project (halted in 2014), and American Jews worship platform project.
All excavation projects were running smoothly before the Covid-19 break out in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. State of Palestine and the Jordanian Kingdom have taken efforts with the UNESCO to halt Israeli archaeological excavations at the TMH. They cannot obtain Israel’s compliance to international law on historical heritages. Efforts taken by the Arab League, the Gulf Countries Council (GCC), the OIC and Turkey also failed to control the grip of the right wing politics. The UN resolutions only appear in document, unable to hinder Israel from breaching international law. The U.S. uses veto power to neutralize the UN resolutions against Israel. Israel has been enjoying immunity from the U.S.-Israel special relationship. No states in the international system could stop Israeli excavations at the TMH since 1967. With the U.S. support, Israel acquire territorial gains in 2019. The U.S. recognized Al-Quds as the capital city of Israel and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds. The U.S. Al-Quds policy jeopardizes the status quo of the TMH in Al-Quds. How far the UAE and Bahrain can protect the Palestinians’ heritages in Al-Quds through their diplomatic relations?
Obviously, International law and liberal institutions unable to control Israel’s behaviour against Palestine and the Palestinians in Gaza, Al-Quds and the West Bank. The U.S. veto power in the Security Council has been guarding and protecting Israel’s belligerent actions. Israel continue breaching international law in the Palestinian issue. But a tiny virus, Corona virus able to challenge Israel’s power. Corona virus forced Israel to go for a complete “shut down” following the first outbreak of the Covid-19 in April 2020. President Netanyahu was convicted of Covid-19 and quarantined. The Israeli health minister, Yaakoz Litzman also was in the list.
Almost all social and economic activities are disrupted by the Covid-19. The TMH in Al-Quds was shut down. The Al-Buraq Wall Plaza at the Al-Buraq Wall flank also closed for the Jewish worshippers in March-May 2020. All archaeological excavations and projects are postponed to a later date. The Al-Buraq Wall was empty only with its cleaning workers in hazmat suits going around sanitizes the wall and collecting “God’s mailbox” letters, which is a tradition for a Jewish worshipper to leave a letter to God in cracks of the Al-Buraq Wall. From time to time these letters are collected to be buried on the Mount Olive. The TMH was shut down by Israel to eradicate spread of the Covid-19. For the first time the TMH and its vicinity was in the eternal peace. No demonstrations and no clashes between the Palestinians and the right-wing Jews.
Facing the Corona virus, no people can claim the ownership of the TMH for their civilizations. Pandemic like Covid-19 has no differentiations over civilizations. The tiny virus has power to stop Israel’s archaeological excavations at the TMH and its vicinity. The Covid-19 pandemic and lock down measures put the TMH ownership question in a jeopardy for some time. It has created a temporary vacuum in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A powerless position of Israel at the TMH.
Israel should realize that realism and power politics can be swallowed by the pandemic. In fact Israel is facing a notorious enemy to its national security in the form of the pandemic. Israelis are dying and their numbers are outrageous than the Palestinians. This pandemic able to weaken Israel’s strategy against the Palestinians. For Palestinians, the Covid-19 is a new threat beside Israel’s threats for many decades. Essentially Israel should come to a better term with the Palestinians to fight against the common enemy to survive in the holy land. There is a significant lesson from the pandemic. Palestinians are not a deadly threat to Israel. No “isms” can survive the Covid-19. Only peace and humanity can safe Israel and Palestine in the long run.