In Judea and Samaria, Israeli archaeologists are facing a silent academic boycott that blocks them from publishing discoveries tied to biblical history. Leading scholars warn that these politically motivated restrictions are not just damaging careers — they are erasing vital chapters of Jewish heritage.
Dr. Dvir Raviv of Bar-Ilan University recently completed excavations at Sartaba, a Hasmonean fortress, but already knows he won’t be able to publish in top journals. “The moment they see ‘Judea and Samaria’ on your submission, it’s rejected,” he told TPS-IL.
The roots of this boycott trace back to international policies labeling Israel as an occupying power in the region. Under the 1954 Hague Convention, only "salvage excavations" are technically permitted in occupied territories — a definition weaponized by anti-Israel academics.
Since the Oslo Accords divided the region into zones in 1993, Israeli archaeologists have largely avoided the biblical heartland. Most digs now occur within Israel’s pre-1967 borders, skewing the archaeological record and depriving humanity of insight into Jewish, Christian, and world history.