The IAA says robbers have been plundering important heritage and cultural assets in the Judean Desert for years.
“The goal of the national plan that we are advancing is to excavate and find all of the scrolls that remain in the caves, once and for all, so that they will be rescued and preserved by the state,” says IAA director Israel Hasson.
Culture Minister Miri Regev vowed to protect these treasures that belong to the Jewish people and the whole world, saying she would work to increase the punishments for antiquities thieves. “The Dead Sea scrolls are an exciting testament of paramount importance that bear witness to the existence of Israel in the Land of Israel 2,000 years ago,” she said.
This is significant in light of the claims by Israel’s enemies that the Jews only appeared in the Holy Land in recent times whereas the Palestinians have ostensibly been living here for millennia.
Additional manpower has already been recruited as the excavations begin:...
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