US returns looted antiquity to Palestinian Authority for first time

[ad_1]

Written by Issy Ronald, CNN

For the first time ever, the United States has returned an antique looted from the Palestinian Authority – an Iron Age ivory “cosmetic spoon” nearly 3,000 years old. US and Palestinian officials attended a ceremony marking the historic repatriation at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Bethlehem on Thursday, according to statements released by the US Office of Palestinian Affairs and the official Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA). ).

US and Palestinian officials met in Bethlehem on Thursday for the historic repatriation. Credit: Ministry of Tourism

The cosmetic spoon dates back to around 800-700 BCE and was used to pour incense on fires as offerings to the gods or the dead, a statement from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (DA) added. .

Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Rula Maayah, who attended the ceremony, said in a statement that the artifact “acquires its true scientific and archaeological value in its authentic location.”

“Based on information from the US side, their investigations showed that the artifact was stolen from the Khirbet al-Kum area of ​​Hebron,” she added.

U.S. Bureau of Palestinian Affairs chief George Noll, who was also present at the ceremony, said the repatriation is “a historic moment between the American and Palestinian peoples and a demonstration of our belief in the power of cultural exchange in the mutual construction”. understanding, respect and partnership.”

The ivory cosmetic spoon was seized following a multinational criminal investigation by the Manhattan DA office into US billionaire Michael Steinhardt.

Steinhardt returned 180 stolen relics worth an estimated $70 million and agreed to an “unprecedented” lifetime ban on acquiring antiquities in December 2021, CNN reported at the time.

Investigators found that Steinhardt, one of the world’s top ancient art collectors, was in possession of looted artifacts smuggled from 11 countries by 12 criminal networks, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

Steinhardt’s attorneys, Andrew J. Levander and Theodore V. Wells Jr, said in a statement to CNN at the time that their client was pleased the prosecutor’s investigation concluded without any charges “and that the items taken wrongfully by others will be returned to their country of origin”. countries.”

Since then, the Manhattan DA has returned several of these looted artifacts, including a $1.2 million antique to Libya and two artifacts to Iraq in January 2022; 39 antiquities valued at $5 million to Israel in March 2022; and 58 antiquities in Italy, including 21 seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as of September 2022.

[ad_2]