Palestinians from a Bethlehem-area town are accusing Israeli forces of illegally seizing an ancient artifact from their town in the predawn hours of Monday morning.
The incident took place in the southern occupied West Bank town of Tuqu, which is said to be the birthplace of the biblical prophet Amos, and is home to a number of Byzantine-era archaeological sites.
Video footage, purportedly taken by residents of Tuqu, shows Israeli military forces escorting a large flatbed truck out of the village in the middle of the night.
On the bed of the truck is a massive stone, alleged to be a baptismal font that dates back to the sixth century A.D., that was once part of an ancient church in the village.
The unique octagonal shape of the stone, which has been widely studied by Palestinian cultural organizations, is easily identifiable in the video.
The baptismal font is reported to be one of three rare basins of its kind. The other two were found in the Church of Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, and the Church of Beit Jibrin, an ancient Palestinian village near Hebron that was forcibly depopulated in 1948.
According to Wafa news agency, the same baptismal font was stolen by “unauthorized dealers” back in 2000, before being returned by Palestinian authorities to Tuqu in 2002.
PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi tweeted the video of the seizure, calling it “typical.”
“Israel steals our land & resources, plunders our archeological/historical sites, appropriates our cultural heritage & seeks to eradicate all evidence of our identity & continuity in our ancestral homeland–a settler-colonial attempt at erasing evidence of the indigenous,” she said.
Local news agencies reported that just days before the seizure of the baptismal font, Israeli forces seized 700 dunams of Palestinian land around the Herodion Mountain south of Bethlehem, allegedly part of Israel’s plans to construct a museum in the area.
On social media, Palestinians speculated that the theft of the baptismal stone could be connected to the land seizure around Mount Herodion, which is alleged to be the burial place of King Herod.
Israel has been accused of stealing ancient Palestinian artifacts in the past, most recently in 2018, when a number of ancient artifacts originating in the West Bank were displayed at an Israeli art exhibit in Jerusalem.
International law prohibits an occupying power from assuming ownership of antiquities or transferring artifacts out of the territory it occupies.
Emek Shaveh, an Israeli NGO “working to defend cultural heritage rights,” has long criticized Israel for its archaeological practices in the occupied West Bank.
Of Israel’s policies regarding artifacts and archaeological sites, the group has said: “Israel continues to use its position as the administrator of archaeological sites in the West Bank as a means to deepen its control over West Bank land, to expand the settlement enterprise, and extend the policy of dispossession of Palestinians from their lands and cultural assets. Although the takeover of land through archaeology is not the main method of achieving Israeli control over land, it is significant because of its symbolic aspects and impact on public awareness.”
The Palestine Liberation Organization
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2020
Dr. Ashrawi: Israeli theft of historical baptismal font is an act of colonial plunder
“Israel’s theft of a baptismal font dating back to the Byzantine era from Bethlehem overnight is an abominable act of thuggery and cultural appropriation.
A hallmark of Israel’s system of colonial occupation and oppression has been its disdainful attempts to erase Palestinian presence, culture and heritage, including the illegal appropriation and theft of heritage sites and artifacts. This systemic policy of plunder is a war crime that must not go unpunished.
In the past weeks, Israel has taken other illegal steps targeting Palestinian heritage sites, including sealing off the entrance of Jabal Al-Fureidis (or so-called Herodium) in the Bethlehem District to restrict the access of Palestinians to the site, which Israel has illegally appropriated as an “Israeli National Park”. Israel has also repeatedly targeted other historical and archaeological sites, including UNESCO Heritage sites in Palestine such as the Old City of Jerusalem, the Battir terraces in Bethlehem, and the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron.
Israel must be held accountable for its egregious war on Palestinian heritage and its attempt to appropriate our history and pillage historical artifacts that are an integral part of Palestinian and world history. UNESCO and its Director General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, have a moral and official duty to speak out and protect Palestinian heritage. Their continued silence in this regard is an unacceptable abdication of responsibility.”
http://english.pnn.ps/2020/07/19/palestine-to-sue-american-tech-giants-google-apple-over-deletion-from-world-maps/
Palestine News Network, July 19/20
“Palestine to sue American tech giants Google, Apple over deletion from world maps”
“Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki says he is going to lodge a case against American technology companies Google and Apple over their deletion of Palestine from online world maps.
“Speaking in an exclusive interview with Lebanon-based and Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Friday, Maliki said he was “looking into legal procedure to respond to the removal of the name of Palestine from Google and Apple maps.”
“He added, ‘We are working to determine the international tribunal that we will go to in order to file a case against Google and Apple,’ noting, ‘It will be easy to put officials of the two companies on trial in case they insist on violating international law.’
“The top Palestinian diplomat noted, ‘They were inevitably mistaken when they dealt with the issue of Palestine with such intended political underestimation.’
“Maliki went on to say that he was going to file a case against the United States and the Israeli regime in this regard with relevant international authorities.
“Earlier this week, Google and Apple officially removed Palestine from their world maps and replaced it with Israel. (cont’d)
(cont’d)
“The besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank are mentioned and marked on Google maps, but since Tuesday, the US-based multinational technology company has removed the name of Palestine from all of its maps, simply considering the two regions as parts of Israel.
“The highly provocative move has enraged Palestinians and social media activists supporting the cause of Palestine, and prompted them to support the two hashtags of #FreePalestine and #standwithpalestine on Twitter and other social media to express their strong dissent against the move. The two hashtags are now receiving countless comments and retweets.
“The change comes on the heels of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank and strategic Jordan Valley, and apply the Tel Aviv regime’s rule over them.
“Israel’s unlawful annexation push has drawn widespread criticisms from the entire international community, including the regime’s closest allies.
“The United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and some Arab countries have all said annexation would violate international law and undermine the prospects of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 boundaries.
“Palestinians want the occupied West Bank as part of a future independent state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
“The so-called ‘deal of the century,’ proposed by US President Donald Trump, has effectively driven Netanyahu to press ahead with his annex plans.
“Trump’s plan, which has been dismissed by all Palestinian and has triggered waves of protests around the globe, envisions Jerusalem al-Quds as ‘Israel’s undivided capital’ and allows the Tel Aviv regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. The plan denies Palestinian refugees the right of return to their homeland, among other controversial terms.”
“IDF returns 5th century stolen baptismal font to original site in Tekoa”
Yep, that is very plausible, knowing their record of stealing lands, olive trees, water, even soil.
They are known to destroy Mosques and Churches in Israel.
They also do not have any decency, and do not respect other religions in the region.
The idiotic Evangelicals still believe these people will welcome Jesus Christ.