Palestinian police on red alert over antiquities smuggling
Palestinian police say the Israeli-controlled Area C is their weak spot in the battle against antiquities smuggling.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Despite efforts by the Palestinian police, more and more antiquities in Palestine end up in the hands of the smugglers, the Palestinian police told Al-Monitor.
Hassan al-Jamal, chief of the Antiquity and Tourism Police, told Al-Monitor that antiquities smuggling has increased over the past year and that the Achilles' heel of smuggling is the Israeli-controlled Area C.
“Smuggling exists in all areas of the West Bank, because the Palestinian Authority (PA) does not control the borders and Palestinian and Israeli security powers overlap, specifically in Area C territories,” he lamented.
The 1995 Oslo II Accord divides the West Bank into Areas A, B and C. Area C, which consists of 61% of the West Bank, has many natural resources and is under Israel’s full administrative and security control.
