HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS ARCHEOLOGICAL AND MONUMENTS DESTROYED

Gaza City, 2 Jumadil Awal 1435/3 March 2014 (MINA) – The Palestinian Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage pointed out that more than 500 archaeological sites and over 1,500 monuments in the West Bank were stolen or destroyed by looters, supported by the Zionist Israeli occupation forces.

According to the Palestinian Department of Antiquities, there are 944 archaeological sites in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while the number of monuments hit 10 thousand.

Antiquities expert Dr Hamdan Taha said that the occupation is committing the most dangerous crime against the antiquities, with the aim of changing and falsifying the history of Palestine, ALRAY, Palestinian Media Agency reported as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

He noted that the construction of the apartheid wall in the West Bank has led to the annexation of more than 270 archaeological sites and  about 2,000 archaeological and historical landmarks, in addition to dozens of archaeological sites that were destroyed for the construction of the wall.

Researcher Mohamed al-Jamal said that the theft of antiquities is managed by Israeli officers, traders and dozens of semi-organized groups who are carrying out illegal archaeological excavations.

Jamal noted that “according to statistics, one hundred thousand archaeological pieces are being smuggled abroad every year.”

For his part, lawyer Mohammed Nassar said that many countries have linked the theft of antiquities with treason; however in Palestine there are not enough laws to deter the antiquities dealers and smugglers. (T/P04/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)