Palestinians ignored in US deal on stolen antiquities

But Palestinians doubted it would apply to them.

They saw Michael Steinhardt's December agreement with prosecutors in Manhattan as yet another setback in their ill-fated quest to retain control of precious antiquities found in Israeli-occupied territories.

Steinhardt's collection, estimated to be worth $70 million, featured multiple items taken from the occupied West Bank, including areas where even Israel recognizes Palestinian civilian control.

Emails published by prosecutors between Steinhardt and dealers show his collection included a Carnelian fish amulet from around 600 BC and an Iron Age cosmetic spoon, both found in Kom, near Hebron, an area the Palestinian Authority controls.

Other, highly valuable, items were found in the West Bank's so-called Area C, a Palestinian territory under full Israeli control.

But the New York prosecutors said all 40 of the items illegally taken from Israel and the Palestinian territories should be returned to Israel.

Justifying the decision, they said: "The looting took place either at an area within Israel's borders or at an area over which Israel exercises legal authority."

It was a jarring conclusion for Palestinian officials, as it appeared to back Israeli ownership of all West Bank artifacts, regardless of where they were found.

The prosecutors did not comment when asked by AFP on whether they considered returning any of the items to the Palestinian Authority, even when their own investigation established the Palestinian provenance of pieces.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said that, from their perspective, the items listed in the Steinhardt case "were stolen, sold and exported out of Israel illegally", without commenting on those found in Kom.