Israel returns 22 stolen ancient artefacts to Greece
The cultural exchange comes amid strengthening ties between the two countries.
Key points
- Israel returned 22 ancient artefacts stolen from Greece at a ceremony in Athens on Tuesday.
- The collection includes 15 Attic vases, six Corinthian vases, and a bronze female statuette.
- Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said it was the first time Israel has returned antiquities to Greece.
- The return comes as Greece and Israel have strengthened energy and defence ties in recent years.
Israel has returned 22 ancient artefacts stolen from Greece, in a cultural exchange that comes as the two countries strengthen their ties. Greek and Israeli officials did not provide details on Tuesday about how the artefacts were found in Israel or how they were illegally removed from Greece.
Israel's ambassador to Greece, Pninat Yanay, said the Israel Antiquities Authority's Theft Prevention Unit had located the items. Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni accepted the objects from the Israel Antiquities Authority at a ceremony at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
What officials said
Mendoni said it was the first time Israel has returned antiquities to Greece, calling it the starting point of closer cooperation between the two countries for the protection of cultural heritage. She added that every return of a cultural object to its place of origin has a broader symbolic and moral dimension.
Yanay said the return created the conditions for further strengthening cooperation between Greece and Israel.
It is the first time that Israel has returned antiquities to Greece, marking the starting point of closer cooperation between the two countries for the protection of cultural heritage.
— Lina Mendoni
Details of the artefacts
The collection includes 15 Attic vases, six Corinthian vases, and a bronze female statuette.
Growing Greece-Israel ties
Greece and Israel have strengthened energy and defence ties in recent years. In August, Israel signed a $3.5bn defence deal to build a multi-layered air defence system in Greece, called the Achilles Shield. It is the largest defence deal between the two countries and one of the most significant export agreements in Israel's recent history.
