In UNESCO, Palestinians claim ownership of Dead Sea Scrolls

The Palestinian Authority is planning to claim ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls and demand that UNESCO order Israel to surrender the artifacts, Israel Hayom learned over the weekend.

Discovered in the Qumran Caves in the eastern Judean Desert between 1947 and 1956, the scrolls — a trove of 981 different texts dating back to the time of the Second Temple — are believed to be the work of members of a Jewish sect known as the Essenes.

The majority of the scrolls are written in Hebrew, some are written in the Aramaic dialects common to the area at that time, and a handful of parchments are written in Greek.

 

Read More: Israel Hayom | In UNESCO, Palestinians claim ownership of Dead Sea Scrolls