Israel investigates legality of U.S. repatriating artifact to Palestinians

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Amrican officials handed an Heritage Minister Amihas Eliya2,700-year-old ivory cosmetic spoon one of 180 A 2,700-year• artifact over to the Palestinian hu's ofor said last wack the legalold ivory inMinistry of Tourism and Antiqlooted items seized by N.Y. prosecutor in 2021 ity of the repatriation "is being aities on fan.

5 in what the US. examined by the archaenlogy taken from legality of the UIS. government's statt officer with the legal counsel, State Department's Office of Pala site in the The Associated Prese •vest Donk estinian Affairs said was "the fiest which will examine all aspects repetriation of the artifact to the Palestinians earlier this month event of such repatriation" by the of the matter, including the Osto BETHLEHEM, West Bankmonth, AmerUS. to the Palestinians.

Accords that the US. has signed." and is calling for annexing An ivory spoon dating back 2300 Ican officials Dozens of Sinhardt's surarchacology in the West Bank.

The case underscores how years sur was recently repatriatod nunderd artifscts haw alntady The artifact - a cosmetic archacology and cultural heritage the artifact to to the Palestinian Authority from spoon madc or ivory and ocucca are intertwined with the combeen repatriated to Italy, Balçaria, the Palestinthe United States has sparkod a to have been plundered from peting claims of the Israelis and Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Libya and dispute with bracts new far-right a site in the West Bank - was Palestinians in the decadestong Isracl.

This spoon was the first scized in late 2021 by the Manhatgoverment over the culural conflict. partment's OFand only item ever to be repatritan District Attorney's office as "Any artiface that we know ated to the Palestinians. fice of PalesThe clash brings into focus the that it comes out illegally from The repatriation coincided part of a deal with the New York with the finst weeks of tsrael's billionaire hodge fund manager Palestine, we have the right to political sensitivities surrounding archacology in the Middle East, first event of new government, which in have it back," said Jihad Yassin, such repatriwhere Israelis and Palestinians composed of nationalises who director general of excavations It was one of 180 artifacts legally looted and purchased and museums in the Palestinian cach use ancient artifacts to supsee the West Bank as the biblical U.S. to the Palport their claims over the land. by Steinhardt he surrendered as heartland of the Jewish people Tourism and Antiquities Ministry. estinians part of an agreement to avoid and inextricably linked to the Each artifact says a story from Israci's beritage minister has prosecurion the history of this land."

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"Israel investigates legality of U.S. repatriating artifact to Palestinians," The Santa Fe New Mexican, 4 February 2023. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2023-091. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2023-091