Challenging the Kyl-Bingaman Amend: opening access to satellite imageryI Michael Fradley I July 2022

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This is a joint lecture in partnership with the Palestine Exploration Fund held in honour of Andrea Zerbini. Access to satellite imagery has enabled major advances in archaeology and other disciplines studying the Middle East and North Africa. A comparable impact had not been realised over Israel and Palestine, where U.S. restrictions known as the Kyl-Bingaman Amendment limited imagery resolution over this area. This paper will present the work of Michael Fradley and Andrea Zerbini (1984-2019) to remove these restrictions, culminating in the reduction on limits in June 2020, but also considering how structural barriers remain in place. As well as telling this slightly improbable tale, it will also reflect and celebrate the work of Andrea Zerbini who died in July 2019. About the speaker: Michael Fradley is a landscape archaeologist specialising in survey techniques, with a background of research across the UK, South America, North Africa and the Middle East. He joined the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project in 2015 where he has conducted research across Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Palestine. He has recently co-authored papers on the endangered maritime heritage of Gaza and the use of historic aerial imagery to investigate the Jericho Oasis. More about Andrea Zerbini: Andrea Zerbini (07.07.1984 – 12.07.2019) was a core member of the EAMENA team at Oxford University (2015-2019). He was appointed Assistant Director of CBRL’s Amman Institute in June 2018 and held a CBRL Visiting Fellowship 2013/14. He also previously served as PEF librarian and trustee. He was the original inspiration and driving force behind the Mapping Digital Heritage in Jordan (MaDiH) project (2019-2021).