More "Holy Land" Antiquities Surfacing
.arrested five would-be antiquities thieves searching with a metal detector in a cave at an ancient site between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, near the city of Modi’in which was reputedly mentioned in the so-called "copper scroll". The five were suspected of having been involved in other theft incidents at various archaeological sites.Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) is charged with the care of tens of thousands of sites throughout the country. As in most countries, most of them are out in the open countryside away from habitation and have no protection or fences. It is reported that approximately 300 antiquity thefts occur annually in Israel, the items are then sold on the black market.According to the report, two-to-three thefts take place every week, most of them carried out by Palestinians, often acting with Israeli Arabs, Bedouins and sometimes with Jews. The sites are staked out, and information is carefully gathered before the actual theft — which usually takes place at night. Amir Ganor, head of the theft fighting department for the Israel Antiquities Authority, told Maariv that thieves also conduct acts of vandalism, breaking everything they find in their way. When people break artifacts they take away the option of scientific study of those objects and sites, he added. “The damage can’t be measured in financial figures.” Items stolen from the digs range from shards of pottery to golden coins, all of which are sold on the black market to the highest bidder. Of course if it really IS "Palestinians" doing most of the digging, the objects may well be taken out of Israel, then reappear as "imported' into Israel, to get a kosher Israeli export licence as "dugups coming from outside Israel".Hundreds of artifact thefts per year — Antiquities authority: Thieves destroy historical sites, sell valuable items to highest bidder ', The Times of Israel, February 29, 2012.map
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