Palestine's fight against antiquities looting, trafficking, and the destruction of the country's cultural property : structures, processes and recent statistics

Abstract EN

This article analyses the cases related to offenses against cultural heritage property registered by the Tourist and Antiquities Police Department (T&APD) throughout the West Bank during two recent, consecutive years.

The study period spans the years immediately preceding and following the implementation of the new Palestinian antiquities law.

The article presents the challenges of combating antiquities looting and trafficking in Palestine; the diversity of cultural heritage resources in the West Bank; the Palestinian law enforcement agencies relevant to cultural heritage, especially the T&APD; the history, structure, employees, and responsibilities of that