The scrolls – a large cache of mostly Hebrew writings from the Second Temple period and its immediate aftermath – were discovered in Qumran between 1947 and 1956. They include many biblical texts and are believed to have been penned by members of a Jewish sect known as the Essenes...
Qumran is on the list of preservation areas which the PA wants to see registered under the 'state of Palestine' on the World Heritage List.
In addition, it plans to bring the matter up before the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation, a committee that operates in an advisory capacity to UNESCO...
The Palestinian drive to lay claim to the Dead Sea Scrolls comes amid a series of resolutions passed at UNESCO that ignore Jewish ties to the Temple Mount."
