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6 Teves 5760 - December 15, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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News
Proof: Antiquities Authority Uses Human Bones for Research

by Betzalel Kahn

Despite repeated denials, it has become clear that the Antiquities Authority is using human bones for research purposes. The shocking proof of this fact is that bones were returned to the Religious Affairs Ministry for reburial only two weeks a complaint was filed with the Police and the Attorney General.

A few weeks ago, burial caves in Shoham were deceitfully unearthed by the Antiquities Authority, which removed the skeletons during a meeting between Religious Affairs Ministry representatives and the company building on the site. While the meeting -- whose purpose was to solve the company's legal problems -- was going on, archaeologists took advantage of the fact that there were no inspectors on the site and they emptied the caves and removed 20 skeletons.

In the legally binding opinion of former Attorney General Michael Ben Yair, bones do not constitute antiquities, and skeletons and bones which have been removed from caves must be transferred immediately to a Religious Affairs Ministry representative for reburial. In this case, the skeletons were not returned to the Ministry of Religious Affairs for an extended period of time. According to Ben Yair's opinion, this constitutes a crime. Activists from the Federation for the Prevention of Grave Desecration filed a complaint with the Attorney General and the Police, asking that they demand that Amir Drori, Director of the Antiquities Authority, return the skeletons immediately for reburial.

The Antiquities Authority returned the bones for reburial only two weeks after the filing of the complaint. The Federation for the Prevention of Grave Desecration stresses that this serious occurrence proves that despite its denials, the Antiquities Authority has been robbing human skeletons for the purpose of various studies over a number of years.

The Attorney General told the complainants that he asked Amir Drori to relate to the complaint, but Drori has yet to respond.


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