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2021.04.23 國際新聞導讀-土耳其邀請以色列高官訪問、敘利亞對以色列核反應爐射飛彈、伊朗試圖將美軍逐出伊拉克、阿富汗想要要回本國文物
伊朗尋求美國從伊拉克“撤退”
自從一月總統拜登就職以來，已經對美國人員和設施進行了約20次襲擊。但是，攻擊的緩慢建立是從較早開始的。
通過JONATHAN SPYER
2021年4月22日21:51
2020年8月，在塔吉軍事基地由美國領導的聯軍移交給伊拉克安全部隊期間，一名美國士兵路過。
（照片來源：THAIER AL-SUDANI / REUTERS）
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最近幾週，對美國在伊拉克的人員和設施的襲擊明顯增加。在周日的最新事件中，向美國人員所在的巴拉德空軍基地發射了五枚火箭。F16飛機駐紮在基地。兩名外國承包商和三名伊拉克士兵受傷。據法新社報導，其中兩枚火箭降落在美國承包商薩利波特全球服務公司的宿舍和食堂。該公司在Balad提供安全性，培訓和實用程序。
巴拉德襲擊事件發生在周三在埃爾比勒（Erbil）機場進行的無人駕駛飛機罷工之後。美軍駐紮在通常和平與穩定的庫爾德自治區的機場。這是伊拉克與伊朗有聯繫的什葉派民兵首次對美國目標使用無人機。2月在機場發生的火箭彈襲擊打死了一名伊拉克平民和一名與美軍合作的承包商。
自1月總統拜登就職以來，已對美國人員和設施進行了約20次襲擊。但是攻擊的緩慢建立是較早開始的，從2019年底開始就可以確定。
正是在這種升級的框架內，美國採取了戲劇性的步驟，於2020年1月7日暗殺了古德斯部隊司令卡塞姆·索萊馬尼（Qasem Soleimani）和卡塔布·真主黨創始人阿布·馬赫迪·穆罕迪斯（Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis）。在2019年12月對基爾庫克（Kirkuk）附近的K1基地的卡塔布（Kata'ib）真主黨火箭彈襲擊中。
索萊馬尼（Soleimani）是伊朗戰略性使用代理政治軍事團體作為在整個地區進行力量投射的工具的策劃者。Al-Muhandis是他最有能力的中尉，並且是該戰略在伊拉克的主要實施者。但是，如果殺人的目的是在親伊朗的民兵中產生震驚和敬畏的感覺，並因此決定不與美國人糾纏，那顯然是無法實現其目標的。什葉派民兵/伊朗叛亂分子對美國在伊拉克的存在進行了緩慢的反叛活動，倖免於索萊瑪尼和穆罕迪德的倖存，並正在加速發展。
這種叛亂的目的是什麼？在伊朗人希望下目前在伊拉克的2500名美國服務人員的火災產生停藥。
在美國和伊朗代表為了恢復JCPOA核協議而在維也納開會的時候，這種叛亂正在加速發展，這對熟悉伊朗方法的人來說並不奇怪。回想一下，針對最初的JCPOA的談判是在2013-15年度進行的，當時敘利亞內戰達到了頂峰。在此期間，動員了伊朗代理政治軍事團體的整個區域網絡來捍衛阿薩德政權免受叛亂。同時，美國是名義上的敘利亞叛亂的支持者，儘管有點三心二意。
伊朗人認為，通過代理戰爭將是談判的有益陪伴。這可能有助於使美國人的思想集中在談判夥伴的嚴肅性上。更具體地說，積極結果對核談判的重要性可能會促使美國人對其他案子採取更加寬容的立場，從而更可能勝利地取得進攻性的勝利。
在敘利亞的情況下，這正是發生的事情。華盛頓決心確保成功完成談判的決心是促成叛亂的冷淡支持的重要因素。反過來，這首先導致叛亂成為伊斯蘭教和遜尼派聖戰分子的主導，然後導致其被阿薩德政權及其伊朗和俄羅斯盟國擊敗。
德黑蘭無疑已經仔細研究了這本劇本。伊朗人還將注意到拜登政府最近承諾在今年9月之前從阿富汗撤軍。他們可能已經得出結論，所有這些跡像都表明有可能重演伊拉克的阿富汗和敘利亞局勢。接下來的幾個月將告訴他們是否正確。
如果事實是這樣的話，而在伊拉克的其餘2500名美國服務人員已撤出，那麼可能會發生什麼呢？
在這裡，適當的比較是與另一個中東國家：黎巴嫩。今天的伊朗處於黎巴嫩的全光譜主導地位。它的真主黨代表是該國最強大的軍事力量。它還及其盟友在議會中擁有多數席位，可以隨意組建和改組政府。它還控制著最強大的情報機構，並擁有強大的經濟實力。這種結構目前正在導致和主導黎巴嫩的普遍崩潰，並已轉變為失敗狀態，這一事實並沒有使它如此。
伊拉克尚未與黎巴嫩處於同一位置。有強大而又強大的軍事力量-最重要的是，反恐怖主義部隊-沒有親伊朗分子的武裝，也沒有受到親伊朗分子的威脅。但很明顯，總理穆斯塔法·卡迪米（Mustafa Kadhimi）的政府令在全國范圍內均不適用。相反，與伊朗有聯繫的民兵（在伊拉克的法治政府Wilayat al-Faqiya或法治政府之後，在伊拉克稱為“ Waliyi”民兵）可以自由運作。他們擁有龐大的經濟資產，秘密監獄，甚至還控制了一些過境點。
伊拉克和敘利亞之間的基地組織/基地佈卡馬爾過境點是伊朗人的重要戰略節點。這是通過公路從伊朗運來的武器進入敘利亞，有時到達黎巴嫩的途徑。今天，伊拉克和敘利亞境內的過境點及其周圍地區都受到IRGC和伊拉克什葉派民兵的直接控制。在尼尼微平原上，巴德爾組織的第30旅阻止了伊拉克基督徒返回家鄉，他們於2014年逃離了伊斯蘭國。在辛賈爾，民兵被動員起來，以保留通往敘利亞的另一條通行路線。等等。
黎巴嫩，敘利亞甚至也門的例子表明，如果沒有美國的直接和積極支持，反伊朗部隊（以色列除外）將難以取得進展並迅速建立。這一事實解釋了伊朗目前的努力，就是要在伊拉克剩餘的美軍腳下燒傷地面。德黑蘭明白，要想獲得伊拉克黎巴嫩化的榮譽，它必須首先驅逐美國的存在。這個問題將在未來一段時間內進行測試。
Iran seeks US ‘withdrawal under fire’ from Iraq
BEHIND THE LINES: Around 20 attacks against US personnel and facilities have been carried out since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January. But the slow build-up of attacks started earlier.
By JONATHAN SPYER
APRIL 22, 2021 21:51
A US SOLDIER walks by during the handover of Taji military base from US-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces in August 2020.
(photo credit: THAIER AL-SUDANI/REUTERS)
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A notable uptick in attacks on US personnel and facilities in Iraq has taken place in recent weeks. In the latest incident on Sunday, five rockets were fired at the Balad Air Base, which hosts US personnel. F16 aircraft are stationed at the base. Two foreign contractors and three Iraqi soldiers were wounded. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, two of the rockets landed in the dormitory and canteen of a US contracting company, Sallyport Global Services. The company provides security, training and utilities at Balad.
The Balad attack followed a drone strike on the airport at Erbil on Wednesday. US troops are stationed at the airport, located in the usually peaceful and stable Kurdish autonomous region. This was the first recorded use of a drone against a US target by the Iran-linked Shia militias in Iraq. A rocket attack in February at the airport killed one Iraqi civilian and a contractor working with US forces.
Around 20 attacks against US personnel and facilities have been carried out since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January. But the slow build-up of attacks started earlier, and was identifiable from late 2019.
It was in the framework of this escalation that the US took the dramatic step of assassinating Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, and Kata’ib Hezbollah founder Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, on January 7, 2020. This strike followed the killing of a US contractor in a Kata’ib Hezbollah rocket attack on the K1 base near Kirkuk in December 2019.
Soleimani was the mastermind of the Iranian strategic use of proxy political-military groups as a tool of power projection across the region. Al-Muhandis was among his most capable lieutenants, and was the main implementer of this strategy in Iraq. But if the killing was intended to produce a feeling of shock and awe among the pro-Iranian militias, and a consequent decision not to tangle with the Americans, it has evidently failed to achieve its objective. The slow Shia militia/Iranian insurgency against the US presence in Iraq has survived Soleimani and al-Muhandis, and is now gathering pace.
What is the objective of this insurgency? The Iranians want to produce a withdrawal under fire of the 2,500 US service personnel currently present in Iraq.
That this insurgency is gathering speed at a time when US and Iranian representatives are meeting in Vienna in an effort to revive the JCPOA nuclear agreement should come as no surprise to those familiar with Iranian methods. Recall that the negotiations toward the original JCPOA took place in 2013-15, when the Syrian civil war was at its height. During that period, the entire regional network of Iranian proxy political-military groups had been mobilized to defend the Assad regime from the insurgency against it. The US, meanwhile, was a nominal, though somewhat half-hearted supporter of the Syrian rebellion.
The Iranians considered that warfare by proxy would be a useful accompaniment to negotiation. It might serve to concentrate the Americans’ minds on the serious nature of their negotiating partner. More concretely, the importance of a positive result to the nuclear negotiations might well incline the Americans toward a more pliant stance on the other files, making a victorious conclusion to the offensive more likely.
IN THE SYRIAN case, this was exactly what transpired. Washington’s determination to ensure a successful conclusion to the negotiations was a significant factor contributing to the lukewarm support afforded the rebellion. That in turn led first to the rebellion becoming dominated by Islamist and Sunni jihadi elements, and then to its defeat by the Assad regime and its Iranian and Russian allies.
Tehran has no doubt studied this playbook carefully. The Iranians will also have noted the recent commitment by the Biden administration to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by September of this year. They may well have concluded that all these indications point to the possibility of repeating the Afghanistan and the Syria situation in Iraq. The months ahead will tell if they are right.
If it turns out that they are, and the remaining 2,500 US service personnel in Iraq are withdrawn, what is likely to follow?
Here, the appropriate comparison is with a different Middle Eastern country: Lebanon. Iran today is in a position of full-spectrum dominance in Lebanon. Its Hezbollah proxy is the most powerful military force in the country. It also, with its allies, has a majority in the parliament and can make and remake governments at will. It also controls the most powerful intelligence bodies, and has a powerful economic presence. The fact that this structure is currently causing and presiding over the generalized collapse of Lebanon and its transformation into a failed state does not make it any less so.
Iraq is not yet in the same position as Lebanon. There are powerful and also significant military forces – most importantly, the Counter-Terrorism Service – which are not in the pocket of, and not intimidated by the pro-Iranian element. But it is clear that the writ of the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi does not apply across the country. Rather, the Iran-linked militias (“Waliyi” militias, as they are known in Iraq, after the Iranian system of governance – Wilayat al-Faqiya, or government of the jurisprudent), operate freely. They have vast economic holdings, secret prisons, even control of some border crossings.
The al-Qa’im/al-Bukamal border crossing between Iraq and Syria is a vital strategic node for the Iranians. It is the route through which weaponry transported by road from Iran makes its way into Syria, and sometimes on to Lebanon. Today, the crossing and the area surrounding it in Iraq and into Syria is under the direct control of the IRGC and the Iraqi Shia militias. On the Nineveh Plains, the 30th Brigade of the Badr organization prevents Iraqi Christians from coming back to the homes from which they fled ISIS in 2014. In Sinjar, the militias are mobilized to preserve an additional access route to Syria. And so on.
The examples of Lebanon, Syria, and perhaps also Yemen suggest that without direct and active American support, anti-Iran forces (with the exception of Israel) have trouble making headway, and quickly founder. This fact explains the current Iranian push to make the ground burn beneath the feet of the remaining American forces in Iraq. Tehran understands that in order to reach the prize of the Lebanonization of Iraq, it must first expel the American presence. This issue is set to be tested in the period ahead.
一次深夜導彈襲擊總結了以色列的所有恐懼-分析
敘利亞導彈在迪莫納附近降落說明了這場戰鬥有多危險。如果它撞在反應堆大院內，以色列人將醒來一個完全不同的現實。
由SETH J.FRANTZMAN
2021年4月22日14:18
關於迪莫納市附近的警報器和以色列中部發生爆炸的 報導，代表了人們與之共寢並希望不醒的所有恐懼之和。
但這發生在星期四清晨，當時一枚敘利亞導彈降落在迪莫納附近 ，以色列通過打擊敘利亞進行了報復。最初的報導大約在凌晨2點發布。它們始於以色列南部的警笛聲，而國外媒體則報導了那些警笛聲在以色列秘密核反應堆附近。
敘利亞導彈在迪莫納附近降落說明了這場戰鬥有多危險。如果它撞在反應堆大院內，以色列人將醒來一個完全不同的現實。
他們與伊朗媒體有關警笛聲和以色列爆炸聲的報導相隨，在加沙地帶，西岸，耶路撒冷和莫迪因都可以聽到。Shahab阿拉伯新聞網站上的報導還說，迪莫納附近的貝都因人社區聽到了警報聲和爆炸聲。在希伯倫的山丘上也聽到了他們的聲音。異常數量的報告及其範圍代表著嚴重的異常事件。
伊朗媒體聲稱兩天前在以色列中部發生爆炸可能是“故意的”。儘管如此，這可能是一個宣傳故事，但它與《法爾斯新聞》的另一篇有關伊朗使用無人機對美國航空母艦進行監視的報導相輔相成。
專家約瑟·曼薩洛夫（Yossi Mansharof）稱，幾天前，與該政權有聯繫的伊朗《開 汗》報紙呼籲伊朗以迪莫納為目標。伊朗媒體呼籲對迪莫納采取“行動”，聲稱他們將襲擊以色列的“核設施”，以報復伊朗納坦茲核濃縮廠發生的事件。
敘利亞對以色列的最後一次重大襲擊包括2018年2月從T-4基地發射的無人機和5月三個月後的火箭齊射。
據報導，在2018年和2019年，伊朗已將彈道導彈移至伊拉克。它還將精確制導的彈藥移至伊拉克和敘利亞，並為真主黨裝備了遠程火箭彈。今年一月，
《新聞周刊》
報導說，德黑蘭將一架無人駕駛飛機轉移到也門，以打擊以色列。伊朗已使用無人機襲擊沙特阿拉伯，並於2020年1月使用精確彈道導彈瞄準了美國在伊拉克的基地。
希望今天的敘利亞導彈事件不會預示即將發生的事情和已完成的威脅的實現。
A late-night missile attack that sums up all of Israel's fears - analysis
The Syrian missile landing near Dimona illustrates how dangerous this battle is. Had it struck inside the reactor compound, Israelis would be waking up to a very different reality.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
APRIL 22, 2021 14:18
View of the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev Desert outside Dimona
(photo credit: JIM HOLLANDER / POOL / REUTERS)
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Reports of sirens near the city of Dimona and explosions in central Israel represent the sum of all fears that people go to bed with and hope not to wake up to.
But that happened early Thursday morning when a Syrian missile landed near Dimona, and Israel retaliated by striking in Syria. The initial reports came out at around 2 a.m. They began with news of sirens in southern Israel and foreign media reports of those sirens being near Israel's secretive nuclear reactor.
The Syrian missile landing near Dimona illustrates how dangerous this battle is. Had it struck inside the reactor compound, Israelis would be waking up to a very different reality.
They go along with Iranian media reports of the sirens and an explosion in Israel that could be heard as far away as the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jerusalem and Modi’in. Reports on the Shahab Arabic news site also said that Bedouin communities near Dimona had heard sirens and explosions. They were also heard in the hills of Hebron. The unusual number of reports and their extent represent a serious and unusual incident.
It comes on the heels of Iranian media claiming that an explosion in central Israel two days ago may have been “deliberate.” Likely a propaganda story, it nevertheless goes along with another Fars News report about Iran using a drone to conduct surveillance of a US carrier.
Only days ago, the Iranian Kayhan newspaper, linked to the regime, called for Iran to target Dimona, according to expert Yossi Mansharof. The Iranian media had called for “action” against Dimona, claiming they would strike at an Israeli “nuclear facility” in retaliation for an incident at Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.
The last major attacks on Israel from Syria have included a drone launched from T-4 base in February 2018 and a rocket salvo three months later in May.
In 2018 and 2019, Iran was reported to have moved ballistic missiles to Iraq. It has also moved precision-guided munitions to Iraq and Syria, and has armed Hezbollah with long-range rockets. In January,
Newsweek
reported that Tehran moved a drone to Yemen that has a range to strike Israel. Iran has used drones to strike Saudi Arabia and targeted a US base in Iraq in January 2020 with precision ballistic missiles.
Hopefully, today's Syrian missile incident is not a portent of things to come and of the fulfillment of threats that have been made.
土耳其邀請斯坦尼茨進行多年來的最高級別訪問
埃爾多安（Erdogan）和其他土耳其高級官員在過去的一年中向以色列公開表示了歡迎，邀請斯坦尼斯（Steinitz）參加會議是這方面的又一步。
通過拉哈夫·哈科夫
2021年4月22日20:41
土耳其總統塔伊普·埃爾多安（Tayyip Erdogan）通過視頻鏈接參加了2021年3月4日在土耳其安卡拉舉行的執政AK黨的會議。
（照片來源：總統媒體辦公室/通過路透社提供的淘汰）
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土耳其外交大臣梅夫魯特·卡武索格魯（Mevlut Cavusoglu）邀請能源大臣尤瓦爾·斯坦尼茨（Yuval Steinitz） 參加了6月由土耳其政府主辦的正式會議，這將使其成為該國多年來的最高級別外交訪問。
在土耳其國民黨主席雷吉普·塔伊普·埃爾多安（Recep Tayyip Erdogan）贊助下，斯坦尼茨被要求參加名為“創新外交：新時代，新方法”的會議 。
自從以色列於2018年召回駐以色列大使以來，以色列部長將是第一位訪問土耳其。埃爾多安（Erdogan）的AKP政黨將以色列與納粹德國進行了比較。它譴責以色列對以色列的“佔領”和對巴勒斯坦人的待遇，儘管以色列自己對塞浦路斯北部和敘利亞北部的非法佔領和對庫爾德人的迫害。
但是，埃爾多安和其他土耳其高級官員在過去的一年中向以色列公開表示了建議，邀請斯坦尼斯參加會議是這方面的又一步。
由於地中海東部的天然氣問題，安卡拉可能選擇了斯坦尼茨邀請其他部長參加，其中包括以色列與希臘和塞浦路斯結盟，尋求建立從以色列到歐洲的輸氣管道。以色列還是EastMed天然氣論壇的創始成員，該論壇包括埃及，法國，意大利，約旦和巴勒斯坦權力機構，以及希臘和塞浦路斯，但不包括土耳其。
總理本雅明·內塔尼亞胡（Benjamin Netanyahu）上個月在一次競選活動中表示，以色列正在與土耳其就天然氣問題進行談判，但總理辦公室拒絕進一步闡述他的評論。
土耳其邀請了來自世界各地的高級政治人物參加為期兩天的安塔利亞會議，以及學者，媒體人物，企業家和知識分子。
卡瓦蘇格魯說，如果新的以色列政府改變政策，土耳其政府將重新評估與以色列的關係狀況。
土耳其外交大臣否認有報導說他選擇了前往以色列的特使：“如果我們要任命駐以色列大使，我們會公開地說。” “我們沒有做出這樣的決定。”
Turkey invites Steinitz for highest-level visit in years
Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials have made public overtures towards Israel in the past year, and inviting Steinitz to the conference is another step in that vein.
By LAHAV HARKOV
APRIL 22, 2021 20:41
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a meeting of his ruling AK Party via video link in Ankara, Turkey March 4, 2021.
(photo credit: PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu invited Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to an official conference sponsored by the Turkish government in June, which would make it the highest-level diplomatic visit between the country in years.
Steinitz was asked to participate in a conference called “Innovative Diplomacy: A new age, new approaches,” sponsored by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the minister’s spokesman confirmed following a report by KAN’s Amichai Stein.
The Israeli minister would be the first to visit Turkey since it recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2018. Among the reasons: Turkey harbors Hamas terrorists; Erdogan’s AKP Party has compared Israel to Nazi Germany; and it condemns Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank and treatment of the Palestinians, despite its own illegal occupations of northern Cyprus and northern Syria and persecution of the Kurds.
However, Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials have made public overtures toward Israel in the past year, and inviting Steinitz to the conference is another step in that vein.
Ankara likely chose Steinitz to invite over other ministers because of gas issues in the eastern Mediterranean, which includes Israel aligning itself with Greece and Cyprus seeking to build a pipeline from Israel to Europe. Israel is also a founding member of the EastMed Gas Forum, which includes Egypt, France, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, along with Greece and Cyprus, but not Turkey.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month at an election campaign event that Israel is “in talks with Turkey” about natural gas, but the Prime Minister’s Office declined to further elaborate on his comments.
Turkey invited senior politicians from around the world to the two-day conference in Antalya, as well as academics, media figures, entrepreneurs and intellectuals.
Cavusoglu said Turkey’s government would reevaluate the state of its relations with Israel if a new Israeli government changes its policies, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.
The Turkish foreign minister denied reports that he chose an envoy to Israel: “If we were to appoint an ambassador to Israel, we would say that openly,” he said. “We have made no such decision.”
阿富汗希望歸還被盜的中世紀希伯來祈禱書
該祈禱書目前在華盛頓特區的聖經博物館中。
通過GIL ZOHAR
2021年4月22日02:47
在塔利班的宗教警察將無價的佛教文物砍成碎片之後，守護阿富汗國家博物館的珍寶，2001年
（照片來源：DAMIR SAGOLJ /路透社）
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阿富汗國家博物館建於1919年，坐落在俯瞰喀布爾的前Bagh-i-Bala皇宮內，既體現了豐富的多信仰遺產，又反映了中亞國家曾經遭受過折磨的歷史，而中亞國家一度主導了連接歐洲和東亞的絲綢之路。
在1992年阿富汗內戰爆發後，該博物館屢遭砲擊。它在1993年5月12日的火箭打擊中遭受了嚴重破壞。塔利班迫擊砲和掠奪者的結合導致一次收集的100,000件史前，希臘化，佛教，印度教，瑣羅亞斯德教，伊斯蘭教和猶太人物品損失了70％。這些被盜的文物充斥了倫敦，巴黎，紐約和其他地方的古物市場。現在，親西方政權的總統阿什拉夫·加尼·艾哈邁德扎伊（Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai）前任馬里蘭州巴爾的摩市約翰霍普金斯大學的人類學教授，希望恢復其文化遺產。它正在尋求遣返的寶藏中有1200年的siddur（祈禱書），這是繼《死海古卷》之後世界上最古老的希伯來語手稿。
阿富汗新聞和文化部新聞與出版部副部長阿卜杜勒·馬南·史威斯哈格（Abdul Manan Shiwaysharq）在接受阿富汗官員與阿富汗人首次有記錄的採訪中說：“我們有責任取回我們的古老瑰寶。”以色列記者。
Shiwaysharq辯稱，喀布爾國家博物館中1998年的古代siddur的照片與華盛頓特區聖經博物館提供的所有權文件相抵觸。MotB說，它於2013年從英國古物經銷商那裡購買了siddur，後者提供了出處證明該手稿始於1950年代的英國出處。MotB為祈禱書支付了250萬美元。儘管Shiwaysharq估計這筆獨特的交易額為3000萬美元。為了保險起見，它確實是無價的。
祈禱書可能屬於Radhanites，這是鮮為人知的中世紀商人群體，其中有些是猶太人，他們在絲綢之路沿中世紀的基督教徒，伊斯蘭世界，中國和印度之間的絲綢之路進行貿易。隨著蒙古帝國從蒙古的草原擴展到歐洲，再到歐洲，拉達教派的企業家和阿富汗早期的猶太人社區很可能在12世紀和13世紀遭到破壞。
來自阿富汗國家博物館的1200年曆史古蹟。（聖經博物館）
MotB的首席策展人Jeff Kloha在回應詢問時說，博物館將在完成後分享調查結果。
“如博物館的出處研究網頁所述，博物館工作人員繼續與外部學者和專家合作，研究該物品的歷史和宗教意義，以及該物品在（顯然）阿富汗，後來的以色列和美國的歷史，” Kloha說。“這項研究正在進行中並且接近完成。”
該網頁包含有關siddur的註釋，稱為“早期猶太祈禱書”：
“在收到可追溯到1950年代英國的出處信息之後，該物品於2013年被真誠收購。該物品是從英國合法出口的。自2014年9月以來，該書已在美國，以色列展出，並在國際新聞媒體上廣泛發行。隨後，聖經博物館館長發現了該書自1998年以來的出版圖片，其中該書似乎是在阿富汗拍攝的。隨後的研究尚未確定1998年之前該物品的發現地點或歷史。策展人繼續推進這一重要的研究項目。
“儘管如此，這份Siddur是具有獨特的歷史，文化和宗教意義的特殊物品，並具有巨大的教育潛力。除了正在進行的來源研究之外，一個書項目也在進行中，該項目由手寫，手稿製作，阿富汗的猶太歷史和猶太禮儀方面的專家做出了貢獻。本書計劃將使Siddur可供研究，並為這種獨一無二的手稿做出更多貢獻。”
克洛哈（Kloha）此前曾向國家公共廣播電台（National Public Radio）表示，博物館早期購置的問題是由於當時缺乏專業知識和政策。
有人說MotB罕見的阿富汗希伯來祈禱書是另一本古老的近東珍寶，是從其原籍國走私的-也許是同情塔利班的博物館工作人員勾結，他們不認為猶太教徒是什葉派阿富汗人的一部分。文化遺產–這是有關洗劫和偽造古物的一系列醜聞中的最新事件，自2017年在美國首都開幕以來，這震驚了聖經博物館。
為了恢復名聲，該博物館最近將8,000粒陶粒運回了巴格達，這可能是2003年從伊拉克博物館帶走的，當時搶劫者在推翻薩達姆·侯賽因的美國入侵中搶劫了它。含糊不清的文獻收藏是從以色列，美國和英國的特許古物經銷商那裡購得的，其中包括印有海豹印章和咒語碗的粘土印章，意在抵擋數千年前的惡魔。
霍比·羅比（Hobby Lobby）（其首席執行官創立並資助了聖經博物館）還起訴了克里斯蒂拍賣行，拍賣處有3500年的蘇美爾楔形文字碑，上面刻有美索不達米亞吉爾伽美甚史詩創作詩的一部分。佳士得聲稱它不知道所依賴的文件是偽造的。美國國土安全部人員繳獲了15×12.5厘米長的東西。這款平板電腦是去年9月從博物館獲得的，現在正在尋求將其返回伊拉克。這家位於俄克拉荷馬城的連鎖店聲稱，在安排銷售時，拍賣行違反了《美國國家被盜財產法》。
2021年1月底，美國國土安全部從聖經博物館退回了5500個紙莎草碎片和其他法老器物，來源“不足”給埃及旅遊和古物部，包括開羅自2016年以來為恢復其古物所做的努力。
同樣令人尷尬的是，MotB承認，它獲得的所有“死海古卷”碎片都是偽造的。
億萬富翁MoTB創始人史蒂夫·格林（Steve Green），福音派基督徒，其家庭擁有Hobby Lobby工藝品連鎖店以及首席策展人Kloha在美國政府於2017年與Hobby Lobby達成和解要求連鎖店後達成了極大的努力來收緊博物館的收購政策。支付300萬美元。對非法進口古代文物處以罰款。喀布爾是1970年聯合國教科文組織公約的簽署國，該公約將未經政府許可的古物出口定為非法。
專門從事公司誠信管理的荷蘭公司透明業務解決方案（TBSBV）的內部顧問LEON HILL渴望看到有關古老siddur所有權爭議的解決方案。
加利福尼亞律師協會的一位成員接受了印度尼西亞巴厘島的訪問，證實他的公司正在與喀布爾進行談判。
“我們正在開展討論。我們對所取得的進展感到非常高興。”
希爾對格林的解釋不屑一顧，格林的解釋是他和克洛哈是博物館業務和藝術品收購的新手。
“他們不能繼續這麼說。他們不再是新的。他們有責任更好地了解。他們有義務保護自己要保護的文物的歷史和遺產。”
他指責MotB為“文化帝國主義”。
“我們希望我們不需要被阿富汗政府僱用，聖經博物館將以正確的方式迅速地做正確的事情。”
祈禱書可能屬於Radhanites，這是沿著絲綢之路進行貿易的中世紀商人。（圖為：Moden地毯，描繪了絲綢之路上的駱駝商隊； Wikimedia Commons）
當被問及TBSBV是否正在尋找保留者，並希望以不幸的方式主要利用富裕的貧窮國家時，希爾回答：“這不是我們利用這一犯罪行為獲利的努力。將其商品化的任何嘗試幾乎都是令人反感的。這就是聖經博物館所做的。”
當他被問到是否擔心將脆弱的siddur送回阿富汗時，其命運可能與巴米揚谷的兩尊6世紀CE雕像相仿。這尊雕像已在2001年被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產，已在聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產名錄來自塔利班領導人穆拉·穆罕默德·奧馬爾（Mullah Mohammed Omar）宣布他們為偶像，希爾回答：“監護權不一定意味著地理位置。”
他補充說：“擁有失竊的文件不是負責管理這些文物的負責任方式。”
他敦促讓MotB與欣賞他們的人們一起慶祝他們，並建議阿富汗政府將siddur和其他中世紀猶太人從國家博物館借到該書社和耶路撒冷的以色列博物館中，該博物館是其中的一部分。死海古卷，阿勒頗抄本和其他古代希伯來手稿。
曾多次被暗殺的目標者希韋斯哈格（Shiwaysharq）承認，這個飽受戰爭war的國家的安全局勢不佳，對他的國家被遣返的寶藏進行國際巡視將是朝著改善阿富汗在世界上的地位邁出的積極一步。
他指出，自2007年以來，許多國際組織已幫助該國回收了8,000多件文物，最近的一件是來自德國的石灰岩雕塑。2012年，英國退還了大約843件文物，其中包括著名的1世紀Begram象牙。
他補充說，展示這些寶藏，包括喀布爾siddur，可以幫助恢復阿富汗長期以來作為文化十字路口的地位。
耶路撒冷以色列古物管理局的退休人類學家喬·齊亞斯（Joe Zias）表示：“很久以來，[聖經]博物館對他們在購買這些物品時所涉及的對像有一點透明度。收購古董的世界有點像今天的共和黨，誰知道誰應對美國的混亂局面負責，但是將他們的個人事業擺在他們有義務保護的職業之前。用塞內卡的話說，“學術界應該是人民的律師。” 許多學者沒有辜負這些話。”
當被問及對這種騷動的評論時，MotB總監Kloha威脅說：“如果該文章發表，博物館將考慮採取法律行動。”
Afghanistan wants to repatriate stolen medieval Hebrew prayer book
The prayer book is currently in Washington DC’s Museum of the Bible.
By GIL ZOHAR
APRIL 22, 2021 02:47
GUARDING THE National Museum of Afghanistan's treasures after priceless Buddhist artifacts were hacked to pieces by the Taliban's religious police, 2001
(photo credit: DAMIR SAGOLJ/ REUTERS)
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The National Museum of Afghanistan, established in 1919 at the former Bagh-i-Bala royal palace overlooking Kabul, reflects both the rich multi-faith heritage and tortured history of the central Asian country that once dominated the Silk Road linking Europe and East Asia.
Following the outbreak of Afghanistan’s civil war in 1992, the museum was repeatedly shelled. It suffered heavy damage in a May 12, 1993 rocket strike. The combination of Taliban mortars and looters resulted in the loss of 70% of the 100,000 prehistoric, Hellenistic, Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Islamic and Jewish objects once in its collection. Those pilfered artifacts flooded antiquities markets in London, Paris, New York and elsewhere. Now the pro-Western regime of President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai – formerly an anthropology professor at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland – wants its cultural legacy returned. Among those treasures it is seeking to repatriate is a 1,200-year-old siddur (prayer book) – the world’s oldest Hebrew manuscript after the Dead Sea Scrolls.
“It is our responsibility to get back our ancient treasures,” said Abdul Manan Shiwaysharq – the country’s Deputy Minister for Information and Publications in the Information and Culture Ministry – in the first-ever on-the-record interview between an Afghani official and an Israeli journalist.
Shiwaysharq argues photos of the ancient siddur in Kabul’s National Museum dating from 1998 contradict the ownership documents provided by the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. The MotB says it bought the siddur in 2013 from antiquities dealers in the UK who provided provenance documents showing the manuscript had been in Britain since the 1950s. The MotB paid $2.5 million for the prayer book. Though Shiwaysharq appraises the unique volume at $30m. for insurance purposes, it truly is priceless.
The prayer book may have belonged to the Radhanites, a little-known group of medieval merchants, some Jewish, who traded along the Silk Road linking Christian Europe, the Islamic world, China and India during the early Middle Ages. The Radhanites’ entrepôts and Afghanistan’s early Jewish community were likely destroyed in the 12th and 13th centuries as the Mongol Empire grew from the steppes of Mongolia to extend from Europe to China.
THE 1,200-YEAR OLD siddur from the National Museum of Afghanistan. (Museum of the Bible)
RESPONDING TO a query, the MotB’s chief curator Jeff Kloha said the museum will share results of an investigation when completed.
“As noted on the museum’s provenance research webpage, museum staff members continue to work with external scholars and experts to research this item’s historical and religious significance, as well the item’s history in (apparently) Afghanistan and later Israel and the United States,” Kloha said. “That research is progressing and nearing completion.”
That web page includes a note about the siddur, described as an Early Jewish Prayer Book:
“This item was acquired in good faith in 2013 after receiving provenance information dating back to the 1950s in the UK. The item was legally exported from the UK. It has been displayed in the US, Israel, and published widely among international news outlets since September 2014. Subsequently, a Museum of the Bible curator discovered published images of the book from 1998, in which the book appears to have been photographed in Afghanistan. Subsequent research has not yet determined the find spot or history of the item prior to 1998. Curators continue to advance this significant research project.
“Nevertheless, this Siddur is an exceptional item of unique historical, cultural and religious significance, and presents great educational potential. In addition to ongoing provenance research, a book project is underway with contributions from specialists in handwriting, manuscript production, Jewish history in Afghanistan, and Jewish liturgical practices. This book project will make the Siddur available for research and enable additional contributions to this one-of-a-kind manuscript.”
Kloha previously told National Public Radio that problems with the museum’s early acquisitions were due to a lack of expertise and lack of policy at the time.
The allegation that the MotB’s rare Afghan Hebrew prayer book is another ancient Near Eastern treasure that was smuggled out of its country of origin – perhaps with the collusion of museum staff sympathetic to the Taliban who don’t regard Judaica as part of Shi’ite Afghanistan’s cultural legacy – is the latest in a series of scandals about looted and forged antiquities that has rocked the Museum of the Bible since its 2017 opening in the American capital.
Hoping to restore a tarnished reputation, the museum recently shipped 8,000 clay tablets back to Baghdad that may have been taken from The Iraq Museum in 2003 when looters overran it during the American invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The vaguely documented collection was acquired from licensed antiquities dealers in Israel, the US and the UK, and includes clay impressions of seals and incantation bowls meant to ward off demons thousands of years ago.
Hobby Lobby (whose CEO founded and funded the Museum of the Bible) is also suing Christie’s auction house over a 3,500-year-old Sumerian cuneiform tablet inscribed with part of the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh creation poem. Christie’s claims it wasn’t aware the documents it relied on were forged. US Homeland Security agents seized the 15-by-12.5-cm. tablet from the museum last September, and now are seeking to return it to Iraq. The Oklahoma City-based chain alleges that, in orchestrating the sale, the auction house violated America’s National Stolen Property Act.
At the end of January 2021, the US Department of Homeland Security returned 5,500 papyri fragments and other pharaonic artifacts from the Museum of the Bible with “insufficient” provenance to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, concluding Cairo’s efforts since 2016 to regain its antiquities.
Equally embarrassing, the MotB has acknowledged that all of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments it acquired are forgeries.
Billionaire MoTB founder Steve Green, an evangelical Christian whose family owns the Hobby Lobby craft store chain, and chief curator Kloha have gone to great efforts to tighten the museum’s acquisition policies after the US government reached a settlement with Hobby Lobby in 2017 requiring the chain store to pay a $3m. fine for illegally importing ancient artifacts. Kabul is a signatory of a 1970 UNESCO Convention making the export of antiquities without permission from the government illegal.
LEON HILL, the in-house counsel for Transparent Business Solutions (TBSBV), a Dutch company that specializes in corporate integrity management, is keen to see a resolution to the dispute over the ownership of the ancient siddur.
Interviewed from Bali, Indonesia, the member of the California Bar Association confirmed his company is in negotiations to represent Kabul.
“We’re developing discussions. We are very pleased with the progress we have made.”
Hill is dismissive of Green’s explanation that he and Kloha are novices in the museum business and the acquisition of artifacts.
“They can’t continue to say that. They’re no longer new. They have a duty to know better. They have a duty to the history and heritage of the artifacts they purport to protect.”
He accused the MotB of “cultural imperialism.”
“We hope that we won’t need to be hired by the Afghan government, and that the Museum of the Bible will do the right thing in the right way quickly.”
THE PRAYER book may have belonged to the Radhanites, medieval merchants who traded along the Silk Road. (Pictured: Moden carpet illustrating camel caravan on Silk Road; Wikimedia Commons)
Asked if TBSBV is seeking a retainer and hoping to lucratively exploit a poor country bountiful primarily in misfortune, Hill responded: “This is not our effort to cash in on this criminal act. Any attempt to commodify it is almost offensive. And that’s what the Museum of the Bible has done.”
Asked if he is concerned that if the fragile siddur were returned to Afghanistan, it might share the same fate as the two monumental 6th century CE statues of Buddha in the Bamyan Valley, registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list that were dynamited in 2001 on orders from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, who declared them idols, Hill answered: “Custody doesn’t necessarily mean location.”
“Being in possession of stolen documents is not a responsible way to curate these artifacts,” he added.
Let the MotB celebrate them with people who appreciate them, he urged, suggesting that one solution would be for the Afghan government to loan the siddur and other medieval Judaica from the National Museum to the Shrine of the Book and Israel Museum in Jerusalem which house some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Aleppo Codex, and other ancient Hebrew manuscripts.
Shiwaysharq, who has been the target of repeated assassination attempts, acknowledged his war-torn country’s security situation is poor, and that an international tour of his country’s repatriated treasures would be a positive step toward improving Afghanistan’s standing in the world.
Since 2007, a number of international organizations have helped the country recover more than 8,000 artifacts, he notes, the most recent being a limestone sculpture from Germany. Approximately 843 artifacts were returned by the UK in 2012, including the famous 1st-century Begram ivories.
Displaying those treasures, including the Kabul siddur, could help restore Afghanistan’s long-lost status as a cultural crossroads, he added.
Joe Zias, a retired anthropologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority in Jerusalem, commented: “It’s long been time for a little transparency from the Museum [of The Bible] as to whom they were dealing with in terms of buying these objects. The world of antiquities acquisition is a little like the GOP today who know who is responsible for the mess there [is] in the US, but put their personal careers before the profession which they were obligated to protect. In the words of Seneca, ‘Academics should be lawyers for the masses.’ Many academics have failed to live up to these words.”
Asked for comment on the brouhaha, MotB director Kloha threatened, “If the article is published, the museum will consider legal action.”