Despite efforts to stop them, archaeologists of the National
Antiquities Authority desecrated the remainder of the graves
in the large burial cave in Kfar Arah in northern Israel,
ignoring for the second time an explicit order from the
Minister of Education that the attacks on the graves at the
site cease.
In reaction, MK Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Lazerson last week
bitterly complained on the Knesset floor, and again demanded
that the Knesset set to work immediately on legislation that
would curb the Authority's powers and stop grave desecrations
in Israel once and for all.
Rabbi Lazerson accused the Authority of willfully violating
the law, which says that human bones are not considered
archaeological artifacts. He told the Knesset that Amir
Drori, the director of the Antiquities Authority, has
admitted that Authority archaeologists in Israel empty bones
out of approximately three thousand graves every year, and
Drori attempts to justify this as legitimate scientific
investigation, which is in the interests of archaeology. In
truth, said Rabbi Lazerson, the repeated desecrations are not
only illegal, they are "contrary to all natural feelings of
human decency."
The assistant minister of Education, MK Modi Zendberg
(Tzomet) defended Drori, saying that the Antiquities
Authority has not been violating Israeli law. "The
Antiquities Authority not only does not desecrate graves," he
said, "it also saves grave sites that are endangered by
development projects."
Prior to Rabbi Lazerson's appeal, chareidi interests managed
to defeat a move in the Knesset which was designed to bring
about new legislation to allow the Authority to continue to
conduct rescue digs and to collect fees for them.
The Authority has made it a practice to halt construction
projects and require the developer to finance a "rescue" dig
even where the chances are practically nil that any artifacts
are endangered. The construction of some 30,000 housing units
is being delayed on account of the Authority. In addition,
the Authority itself conducts these digs which it orders, and
consistently charges firms exorbitant fees for them.
Late last year, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that this
arrangement was improper, and recommended that the Authority
only keep the power to determine whether such digs are
necessary, but the digs be conducted by other interests and
the fees would thus not wind up in the Authority's
coffers.
Two weeks ago, a motion was offered on the Knesset floor to
circumvent the court's decision, through new legislation
which would confirm the Authority's power to conduct the
"rescue" digs and charge its fees. It then had to be decided
to which Knesset committee the motion would be referred. The
law's supporters favored the Knesset's Committee on
Education, which is headed by MK Emanuel Zisman, a supporter
of Drori. Chareidi interests preferred that the motion be
referred to the Knesset's Finance Committee, which is headed
by MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz.
MK Rafael Pinchasi (Shas) who heads the Knesset steering
committee which decides the matter, worked with Rabbi
Lazerson and others and, in a 7-6 vote, the Knesset steering
committee voted to refer the motion to the Finance Committee
of Rabbi Ravitz.
Rabbi Ravitz denied that he intends to "bury" the motion, as
supporters of the Authority charged. "On the contrary," he
said, "My intent is to have a motion on this subject read
three times before the current Knesset." He added, "I support
legitimate archaeological digs to discover information about
the past, but such digs cannot be conducted in ways that are
in violation of halacha."
