When the Defence Minister was an Antiquities Enthusiast: Moshe Dayan’s Influence on Archaeology in the West Bank Following the Six-Day War

Abstract

Moshe Dayan remains a popular personality who devoted most of his life to the Israeli state and whose military contributions have overshadowed his illegal activities in the field of archaeology. This article offers the first examination of Dayan’s impact on archaeology in the West Bank during his tenure as Israel’s defence minister (1967–74). Dayan moulded the military government in the West Bank in its early years and was involved in appointing the staff officers charged with managing civil affairs. His approach of granting rights to the Palestinians also found expression in his administration of the military government, and most workers in archaeological contexts were Palestinians. However, in parallel to his establishment of local order, Dayan conducted illegal excavations in plain sight of local residents and illegally acquired antiquities in the region. Upon catching antiquities thieves in the Hebron Hills, he purchased their findings and encouraged them to continue excavating, undoubtedly contributing to the high number of illicit excavations. During its early years, the antiquities department he established sought to reduce these thefts; however, Dayan, who held overall responsibility for its operations, sometimes acted in direct contravention of this policy, creating local anarchy whose impact is still felt today.