The exhibit is a violation of international law!

TheDead Sea Scrolls, confiscated from East Jerusalemduring Israel's 1967military invasion and occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, are inToronto, on exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The (ROM) agreedto host a six-month exhibit of the DeadSea Scrolls, in co-operation with the Israel Antiquities Authority(IAA),scheduled from June 27, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

The move is part of Israel consul general Amir Gissin's official"Brand Israel" campaignthat attempts to 'rebrand' apartheid Israel beyond its systematicrepression of the Palestinianpeople. The aim of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Brand Israel campaign is to shift the attention awayfrom Israel's continuingviolations of internationalhumanitarian law by presenting a more 'benign' vision of Israel to a Canadian public growing increasinglywary of Israel'swar-crimes and apartheid policies towards the Palestinians.

Since 1967, hundreds of thousandsof precious artifacts have been illegally removed by the Israeli AntiquitiesAuthority, Israeli soldiers, and illegally operating antiquities dealers fromthe occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Theseremovals of the joint culturalheritage of the region are in direct contravention of at leastfour international conventions or protocols on the treatment of illegallyobtained cultural goods.

Thebulk of the artifacts were excavated from Qumran in the West Bank, between 1947and 1956 by the PalestineArchaeological Museumin a joint expedition with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan and theEcole Biblique Francaise. The Scrolls were displayed at the Palestine ArchaeologicalMuseum (the RockefellerMuseum) in East Jerusalem until 1967,when the Israeli military occupied East Jerusalemand looted the artifacts.

We Call on Canada to Cancel the Show!

The ROMwas approached by members of the Palestinian community and concerned citizens, buthas refused to make public the documents it claims prove the legality of theexhibit. It has also refused to seek a UNESCO opinion on the matter.

Womenin Solidarity with Palestine (WSP) and IJAN-Toronto have been holding ourregular weekly vigils in front of the Israeli Consulate building, directlyacross the street from the ROM.Since mid-April, we have distributed handouts detailing the theft of the DeadSea Scrolls from Palestine,with a call to boycott the exhibit and to write letters to the ROM demandingthat the exhibition be shut down.

Inlight of the ROM's absolute disregard for the concerns of Canada's Palestinian community andthose of its supporters, the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), WomenIn Solidarity With Palestine, and IJAN-Toronto have launched a weekly picket,to be held at the same location as the weekly vigils. The Friday evening vigilscontinue, from 5-6pm, followed by the picket, from 6-7.

Thefirst picket took place on Friday, July 10, following the vigil. Both were verywell attended and featured spirited chants, bold placards, and a large mixedcrowd of solidarity activists and supporters. The handout distributed to thepublic asks for their help in protesting the ROM's failure to comply withinternational law and its ethical obligations by:

• Demanding the ROM recognize the Scrolls are looted Palestinian artifacts.
• Demanding the ROM dissociate itself from the Israeli Antiquities Authority which has systematically looted millions of Palestinian artifacts.

We arehoping to sustain the pickets until such time as the exhibit comes down.

In themeantime, we are engaging with the public every Friday evening, from 5 till 7o'clock, distributing information about the theft of the Dead Sea Scrolls andopening opportunities to talk with people about Palestine and Israeli apartheid.

Broughtto you by

The InternationalJewish Anti-Zionist Network, Toronto(IJAN-TO)

For more information:Canada@IJSN.net

Also se: www.ijsn.net & www.nion.ca