Israel's cabinet is expected to pass Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu's resolution on Sunday to update the name of the Rockefeller Museum, so that it will henceforth bear the name of US President Donald Trump, Israel Hayom has learned.
The Rockefeller Museum, located opposite the northeastern corner of the Old City walls in Jerusalem, near the Flowers Gate, is one of the most impressive and recognizable buildings in the city. It was built in the 1930s under the British Mandate with a substantial donation from philanthropist John Rockefeller, and has since served as a museum of the archaeology of the Land of Israel.
The final text of the resolution to name the museum after Trump was recently submitted to the cabinet secretariat and placed on the agenda for Sunday's meeting.
Since the area was liberated by Israel in the Six-Day War until recently, the Israel Antiquities Authority had operated there. For various reasons, the level of activity at the site has been low relative to the highly significant finds on display.
With the goal of increasing activity at the site, the government established an interministerial team that examined several options. The team's recommendation was to establish a cultural-educational heritage center to be operated by the Israel Antiquities Authority within the magnificent complex. Additionally, as a gesture honoring President Trump's very strong support of Israel, the team recommended the center be named after him.
The Justice Ministry examined whether changing the site's name was legally permissible. The review found no evidence that the museum was named after Rockefeller – rather, its official name is the "Archaeological Museum of Palestine-Eretz Israel" (Hebrew for the Land of Israel). Furthermore, the official proposal is to name the Heritage and Archaeology Center after Trump – not the museum or the building themselves. As an added precaution, it was also stipulated that the name change would be made "without prejudice to any rights or obligations that may exist."
