Jordan calls on Canada to seize Dead Sea scrolls

Bataween
Point of No Return
02 January 10

With thanks: Victor; Lily

Countries will think twice about hosting an exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls following a call by Jordan on Canada to seize the ancient manuscript fragments until their disputed ownership is resolved.

The exhibition of Dead Sea Scrolls, in conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority, runs until tomorrow at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Two weeks ago, however, Jordan invoked the Hague Convention, which is concerned with the safeguarding of property in wartime, to urge Canada to take custody of the Dead Sea Scrolls, arguing that Israel had seized the scrolls illegally from Jordan when it re-conquered east Jerusalem in 1967.

Under the Hague Convention the country to which the artefacts are 'exported' becomes the custodian, responsible for their safe keeping.

When the exhibition first opened in the summer, the Palestinian Authority voiced similar objections. Then, a National Post article by Ed Morgan, a university of Ontario law professor, stated:

"In the first place, prior to 1967, the part of the West Bank in which the scrolls were discovered was illegally occupied by the Kingdom of Jordan -- an occupation condemned by virtually every existing international organization, including the Arab League and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. If one doesn't like Israel's current possession of the scrolls because of Israel's occupation of the territory from which they come, one cannot possibly like the Jordanian claim any better.

More to the point, the Palestinians have expressly recognized Israel as custodian of all artefacts found in the West Bank and Gaza pending a final resolution of the conflict.

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