[CPProt.net] Antiquities theft rose sharply last year, according to statistics of the robbery prevention unit in the Israel Antiquities Authority.

[CulPropProtNet/MusSecNetwork]

Antiquities theft shot up in 2004   
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent 
 
 
Antiquities theft rose sharply last year, according to statistics of the
robbery prevention unit in the Israel Antiquities Authority. 
  
In 2004 there were 314 cases of antiquities theft compared to fewer than 200
in 2003. The director of the robbery prevention unit, Amir Ganor, said that
in the past thieves concentrated on antiquities sites near the Green Line,
but that lately plundering has spread to all parts of the country.

This week, for example, an attempt was foiled to steal an ancient transom in
Safed weighing 300 kilograms. The thieves, operating in broad daylight, fled
the scene after neighbors noticed them and asked them what they were doing.

According to Ganor, the phenomenon of antiquities theft has taken on gold
rush dimensions, with an antiquities site plundered every day on average.
The Antiquities Authority claims that a lenient punitive policy by the
courts presents incentive for antiquities thieves. The Knesset recently
increased the maximum punishment for damaging an antiquities site from three
to five years, but Ganor says that the punishments meted out in the courts
today rarely exceed a year in prison.

Yesterday, Acre Magistrate's Court handed down a four-month prison sentence
to a Tul Karm resident convicted of conducting illegal digs at an ancient
cemetery in the city dating from the Roman-Byzantine period. In rendering
his verdict, the judge took into account the robber's claim that he had
committed the crime to provide for his children.

According to Ganor, "The courts show a great deal of consideration for the
thieves and not enough awareness that damage to an antiquities site is
irreversible. As far as the robbers are concerned, this is a cold financial
calculation when the profit is large and the risk is almost nil."
 
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/