King David's palace has been found by a team of Israeli archeologists...maybe. The team believes it has discovered the ruins of a palace belonging to the biblical King David.

However, other experts in Israel dispute the claim.

The find, a large fortified complex west of Jerusalem at a site called Khirbet Qeiyafa, is the first palace of the King David ever to be discovered, according to archaeologists from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel's Antiquities Authority.

''Khirbet Qeiyafa is the best example exposed to date of a fortified city from the time of King David,'' said Yossi Garfinkel, a Hebrew University archaeologist.

Howeer, because it's from the time of King David, it doesn't mean that David himself would have used the site. Still, it could be the site where, if one believes the Bible, David smote Goliath.

The site was uncovered by Garfinkel and colleagues in a seven-year dig with Saar Ganor of Israel's Antiquities Authority.

The team also discovered evidence pointing to Judeans, the subjects of King David. They found cultic objects and no evidence of pork, which would have been forbidden to them. Garfinkel called these signs "unequivocal proof".

Critics, however, disagree, saying the site could have belonged to other kingdoms of the area.

Most scholars believe there's no definitive physical proof of the existence of King David that has yet has been found.

And, in general, biblical archology itself is controversial; researchers are often divided a to wehther stories from the Bible can be validated due to physical remains.

And, in addition, Israelis use archeological findings to back up their claims to sites the Palestininans also claim, the Old City of Jerusalem. For example, Palestinians deny that the biblical Jewish Temples ever were on hilltop where the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site, currently lies-despite extensive archaeological evidence.

In general, researchers are divided over whether biblical stories can be validated by physical remains.

Still, the palace may be King David's. Garfinkel says a store-room, likely used to collect taxes, was also found. She believes the house may have been a second home of sorts, a fortified retreat during an era of frequent conflicts.

 ''The time of David was the first time that a large portion of this area was united by one monarch,'' Garfinkel said. ''It was not a peaceful era.''