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- The politics of archaeology in Israel and Palestine refers to the significance of archaeology in the politics and social fabric of Israel and Palestine. Many important developments in Levantine archaeology have occurred within Israel and Palestine. Before 1946, the Department of Antiquities of the British administration of Mandatory Palestine was jointly staffed by citizens of the United Kingdom, Arabs, and Jews. After the creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the state of Israel, the Department was split into several smaller departments. According to Hallote and Joffe, Israel's Department of Antiquities and Museums "attracted relatively little attention from religious Jews," and a 1950s excavation of burial caves at Beth She'arim "did not elicit a great response from religious groups."(86–87) Israel also organized its archaeological activities so as to position the country's high culture on a global stage.(87) The politicization of archaeology, which Hallote and Joffe attribute to "popular interest of religious nationalist groups," did not begin in earnest until after the Six-Day War.(89) (en)
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