It is the first one. This Friday, the United States returned to the Palestinian Authority an antiquity of almost 3,000 years, reported the American media CNN.
“The object was officially repatriated today by this office to Bethlehem in the West Bank during a ceremony,” the Manhattan district attorney in New York said in a statement.
This repatriation was described as a “historic moment between the American and Palestinian peoples” by the head of the US Bureau of Palestinian Affairs, George Noll.
Large-scale antiquities trafficking
This ivory spoon was seized as part of the multinational criminal investigation conducted early last December, the prosecutor said.
It was Michael Steinhardt, one of the world’s greatest collectors of ancient art, who retained the antiquity thanks to an Israeli dealer. Another 180 stolen items worth $70 million were also seized during the search.
The nearly 3,000-year-old spoon was stolen “from the Khirbet al-Kum area of Hebron,” Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Rula Maayah said.
He concluded: antiquity “acquires its true scientific and archaeological value in its authentic location.”
Source: BFM TV
