النسخة الإنجليزية من مقال تهريب اثار اليمن الى اسرائيل: In International Silence: Yemen’s Ancient Treasures Smuggled into Israel”

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“In International Silence: Yemen’s Ancient Treasures Smuggled into Israel”

In International Silence: Yemen’s Ancient Treasures Smuggled into Israel

By [Your Name]

As the world watches in silence, a cultural crime of historic proportions is unfolding: priceless Yemeni artifacts — some dating back over 8,000 years — are being smuggled out of the war-torn country and ending up in Israel, far from their ancestral home.

These aren’t just stones or relics. They are living testimony to one of the world’s oldest civilizations. From the kingdoms of Saba, Ma’in, Qataban, and Hadhramaut to pre-historic South Arabian cultures, Yemen’s artifacts tell the story of language, trade, and spiritual life at the crossroads of ancient human history. Today, many of these pieces are displayed — illegally — in Israeli collections, private auctions, and even museums, with no accountability or international outcry.

How Did Yemen’s Treasures Reach Israel?

Since the outbreak of the war in 2015, Yemen has become a hotbed for artifact smuggling. The chaos, the collapse of central authority, and the involvement of regional and international actors have created the perfect environment for looting.

Artifacts are smuggled out through established black-market networks stretching across the Gulf, East Africa, and Europe. Once laundered and “cleansed” of their origins, many pieces have found their way into Israel — often via shadowy intermediaries. Investigative reports point to involvement by Israeli institutions — some with intelligence ties — which claim to be researching the “ancient Semitic roots” of the Arabian Peninsula.

The Strategic Motive Behind the Theft

This is not simply about financial gain. Israel has long invested in rewriting historical narratives in the Middle East. Stealing Yemeni artifacts is part of a broader ideological effort to forge connections between ancient South Arabian history and Zionist claims. This narrative is designed to justify expansionism and fabricate a deeper Jewish presence in the region than historical record supports.

Through this process, Israel is not just stealing objects; it is attempting to reshape cultural memory, whitewash colonial realities, and insert itself into ancient civilizations it had no part in.

The Silence of the World

Despite Yemen’s ratification of the 1970 UNESCO Convention against illicit trafficking of cultural property, there has been no meaningful international response. No pressure on Israel to return stolen artifacts. No United Nations reports. No legal proceedings. Meanwhile, international media outlets that loudly decry the destruction of cultural heritage elsewhere have remained disturbingly quiet.

This selective silence is not accidental. It reflects a broader trend of overlooking Israeli violations — even when they cross into cultural theft and historical erasure.

Rewriting History Through Theft

What Israel is doing with Yemeni artifacts mirrors its approach to Palestinian history: appropriation, distortion, and control of the narrative. By collecting, exhibiting, or selling these items under academic or commercial pretexts, Israel is actively engaging in historical falsification.

This isn’t just a crime against Yemen — it’s a crime against humanity’s shared history.

What Can Be Done?

Documentation: Scholars, activists, and diaspora Yemenis must continue documenting every looted artifact, with images and historical context.
Legal Action: International legal cases must be pursued, not just against Israel but also auction houses and networks involved in laundering.
Media Pressure: Awareness campaigns and independent journalism should expose this cultural theft to global audiences.
Political Advocacy: Yemeni voices must demand this issue be placed on the international agenda, as part of broader calls for justice and preservation of heritage.

When history is stolen, identity is erased. The smuggling of Yemen’s treasures is not just about missing artifacts — it is about a stolen future, a manipulated past, and the urgent need for justice before more of humanity’s shared heritage disappears into the shadows of silence.