Close to 60 Israeli archaeologists presented an urgent petition to the High Court of Justice to block the appointment of a new director general at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu. The development marked a further step in the growing rift between the Heritage Ministry and academia. Many archaeologists, including Israel’s Archaeological Council, have also opposed a bill backed by Eliyahu to establish direct Israeli civilian responsibility for antiquities in the West Bank and Gaza, a potential move considered by many to be a dramatic step toward de facto annexation. Earlier this month, Eliyahu tapped Esti Shreiber, the head of an NGO affiliated with the Chabad Hasidic movement promoting Jewish values among young people, as the new head of the IAA. The appointment needs to be approved by both the government and the IAA Council.…