Jordan demands return of Dead Sea Scrolls from Israel

Claiming that the Israelis took away the Dead Sea Scrolls from them during the 1967 Six-Day war, the Jordanians have  initiated a move in the United Nations to get the ancient texts back.

“Israel seized the scrolls and other antiquities from the Palestinian Museum, which was managed by Jordan, in East Jerusalem when it occupied this part of the city in 1967,” Rafea Harahsheh, an official of the Jordan’s antiquities department said.

“The government has legal documents that prove Jordan owns the scrolls.”

The scrolls, which are also called the Qumran manuscripts, are of great historical significance to biblical scholars as it ascribes the earliest origins of Judaism and Christianity.

It will be remembered that East Jerusalem was captured from Jordan during the Six-Day war and Israel later took possession of it, a move not recognized by the international community.

[ via nationalpost.com]