She thinks archaeology is an important issue in the life of Israel. Stern expects that the ultra-Orthodox community, which has often demonstrated against the excavation of graves, will be a less potent force against archaeology, at least in the near term. As a result, the religious parties are less crucial to the government's survival and thus yield less influence. I asked Stern about one of the most troubling archaeological problems currently in Israel, the construction on the Temple Mount undertaken by the Waqf, the Muslim religious trust in charge of the mosques on the mount. Stern was emphatic.
Excavations can only take place with archaeological supervision.
We have a law in Israel if you work in ancient areas, you must have professional archaeologists to minimize the destruction of ancient remains. Stern said that he would have no problem with having archaeologists from the Palestinian Authority on a team that supervised the work on the Temple Mount, but he was clear that the team would have to be under the auspices of the IAA a condition, Stern realizes, unacceptable to Palestinians. Don't expect this rancorous issue to be resolved anytime soon. BAR editor Hershel Shanks has long been trying to obtain IAA approval for Shlomo Moussaieff, a London-based antiquities collector, to lend some of his most impressive pieces to the Israel Museum for a temporary exhibit. Moussaieff is willing to lend but asks if he will get them back.