The archaeologists of East Jerusalem discover a dam in the biblical era, which raises concerns about Israeli excavation practices and the disputed land claims of the Palestinian lands

The archaeologists of East Jerusalem claimed to have discovered the largest dam in Israel, dating back to the end of the 9th century BCE. The dam would have been built at the time of King Joash and the Amazie of Judah, 2800 years ago. King Joash is a historic figure, but most of his references came from biblical texts, in particular from the Old Testament.

The dam located near the Siloam swimming pool in the city of David Archaeological Park is 12 meters high, 8 meters wide and 21 meters long, making it the first solid barrage found in Jerusalem. The dam seems to be a sophisticated water management system designed to meet the climatic challenges of that time, such as droughts and sudden floods. He redirected the water from Gihon’s spring and collected rainwater, channeling it in the Siloam pool. The discovery highlights the advanced engineering and urban planning capacities of ancient Jerusalem. The dating of the dam was verified by a high -precision radiocarbon analysis and evaluated by peers by the acts of the National Academy of Sciences.

The excavations were mainly funded by the IR David Foundation (ELAD) in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the University of Tel Aviv. The foundation manages the city of David National Park and invests in archaeological research in the region. The Israeli government has also allocated 60 million NIS for archaeological excavations and the preservation of the city. Part of this is redirected to the Israeli authority for antiquities for excavation purposes.

BBC News Arabic in September 2020 revealed that the companies controlled by Abramovich donated around $ 100 million to Elad. Roman Abramovich is a Russian-Israeli oligarch and former owner of the Chelsea Football Club, with close links with Putin and is now prohibited in the United Kingdom.

Archaeological excavation in a turbulent political landscape like East Jerusalem is spoiled in controversy. The Silwan district and the city of David are considered to be part of the Palestinian territory occupied under international law. A part that the Palestinians claim to be the future capital of a Palestinian state. It was annexed by Israel after the six -day war in 1967.

The human rights group and archaeologists accused the ELAD Foundation of using excavation as a political tool. The American and academic anthropologist Nadia Abu El-Haj, known for his critical work on the intersection of archeology, nationalism and colonialism, examined in his book “ Facts on the Ground ” How archaeological practices in Jerusalem are shaped by ideological and cultural forces to shape national identity and political agenda. It shows with case studies how the archaeological sites of the West Bank are used to assert territorial allegations. It argued that the earth accumulates over time of the upper layer, the most recent history, lower layers, older history. It criticizes the practices of the ELAD Foundation, which uses horizontal tunnels instead of the downward method. Thus, deliberately mix the artefacts from different layers, which makes it difficult to determine their age or the correct historical context.

The ELAD Foundation was formed with the mission of promoting the Jewish historical and archaeological presence in the region. He had forcibly acquired the land of Palestinian families on numerous occasions, declaring them absent from the land, under the law on goods absent with the aid of the Israeli government, even when families resided in the place.

“We are a foundation whose objectives are to house Jewish families in the city of David. These are the declared objectives of the foundation with the registrar of associations for which we receive donations. This is a main part of the foundation’s objectives, “said David Be’eri, CEO of the ELAD Foundation, before an Israeli court during a legal action filed against the Palestinian resident of Silwan.