by Bert de Vries. It is 70 years since the state of Israel was born out of the first Arab-Israeli War under the leadership of the much-revered founding father, David Ben Gurion. Thinking Israelis must wonder how political life degenerated from that heroic beginning to the corrupt and racist prime ministry of Mr. Netanyahu. Amos …
Continue reading “Betrayed by History?” Book Review of Judas by Amos Oz
by Frans van Liere. In my last entry for Historical Horizons, I wrote about how archaeology can be a tool for colonialism. For the Palestinian inhabitants of the village of Silwan, the Israeli archaeological park of the “City of David,” situated right in their West Bank village, bears a clear message: you don’t belong here; …
Continue reading Building Community among the Ruins
by Frans van Liere. More than any history book, archaeology can create a powerful sense of the past. At the same time, just like history, archaeology can be used and abused for political purposes. It can create a sense of national or ethnic identity, or exclude others from that identity. This past summer, when my …
Continue reading Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the City of David
by Bert de Vries. “Those who turned Gaza into an internment camp for 1.8 million people should not be surprised when they tunnel underneath the earth. …” Amira Hass, “Reaping what we have sown in Gaza,” Ha’aretz, 20 July, 2014 As I absorb the news of conflict in Gaza in the mainstream American media – …
Continue reading Missiles for Tunnels in Gaza: The Flattening of History
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