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This unexpected opportunity to skip a summer of field work may prove a blessing in disguise for some archaeologists, says Keith Schoville, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin and immediate past president of the Near East Archaeology Society. Archaeologists are notoriously slow in publishing the findings of their excavations, so the forced hiatus may provide a welcome respite.

"For those that are canceling," Schoville says, "perhaps some progress will be made this year on moving their publications forward."

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The site for the Harvard-sponsored Ashkelon dig includes the programs' cancellation letter. See more on Ashkelon archaeology.

The Zayit dig is on for this year and advises that "potential trouble can be easily avoided by staying away from predictably tense areas."

Other dig sites include Sepphoris, Tel Rehov, Megiddo, Caesarea Philippi, and Bethsaida. The Near East Archaeology Society focuses on lands of the Bible.

On Jan. 12, the U.S. Department of State warned against travel to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

For articles on the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, see Yahoo's full coverage area.

Previous Christianity Today stories about conflict in Israel and Palestine include:

Greek Orthodox Priest Falls Victim to Middle East Conflict | Monks worry they may appear as threats to each warring side. (June 21, 2001)

Pilgrimages Drop and Workers Lose Jobs as Middle East Violence Continues | Silence fills places normally crowded with pilgrims, reports British group. (April 11, 2001)

Holy Land Roadblocks | Christian pilgrims learn about Palestinians' everyday indignities. (Apr. 9, 2001)

Christian Zionists Rally for Jewish State | More than 600 Christians from around the world flock to Jerusalem to show solidarity with Israel as peace process collapses. (Apr. 9, 2001)

Between a Rock and a Holy Site | Muslims have stepped up their efforts to take control of places revered by Jews and Christians. (Feb. 13, 2001)

The Peace Regress | What's behind the current outbreak of hostilities in the Holy Land? (Jan. 11, 2001)

Conflict in the Holy Land | A timeline of trials for the most contested piece of real estate in the world.

Christmas in Palestine: Hunger and War | Starvation threatens Palestinian villages if U.N. aid continues to be delayed, Vatican official warns. (Dec. 13, 2000)

Between the Temple Mount and a Hard Place | Palestinian Christians want both peace in their villages and justice for their Muslim brothers. (Dec. 5, 2000)

Messianic Ethiopians Face Discrimination | Sisters appealing decision to revoke Israeli citizenship. (Dec. 4, 2000)

Christmas Plans for Bethlehem Scrapped | Escalating violence cancels millennial celebration in town of Christ's birth. (Dec. 1, 2000)

Lutheran Bishop's Appeal from Jerusalem | Religious leader's letter requests prayer for Christians, Jews, and Palestinians in troubled region. (Nov. 10, 2000)

Latin Patriarch tells Israel to Surrender Lands to Palestinians | Catholic leader says Israel will never have peace unless it "converts all of its neighbors to friends." (Nov. 1, 2000)

Fighting Engulfs a Christian Hospital in Jerusalem | Lutherans call conflict on their hospital grounds "an affront" to humanitarian purposes. (Oct. 16, 2000)

Preparing for Pilgrims | Religious rivalry complicates millennial planning. (June 14, 1999)

How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend | (October 5, 1998)

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July 8 2001, Vol. 45, No. 9