False claim that the Qumran Caves are located in Israel

"Your article states that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Qumran Caves “in what is today Israel and Palestine”. This is inaccurate, as the Qumran Caves are in the Occupied Palestinian Territories." 


July 18, 2023

To: 

Alyssa M, Editor-in-Chief, WorldAtlas

Oishimaya Sen Nag, Senior Editor, WorldAtlas

Dear Alyssa M and Oishimaya Sen Nag,

I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) requesting a correction for an article published on the WorldAtlas website titled “11 most incredible ancient artifacts.”

Your article states that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the Qumran Caves “in what is today Israel and Palestine”. This is inaccurate, as the Qumran Caves are in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. While the Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority maintains the site, your article is misleading, as the Caves are not in Israel.[1]

As such, I urge you to correct the article to read “The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of ancient documents that were first discovered in 1946 in what is today Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Should you wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me at 438-380-5410.

 Sincerely, 

Mohamed Khalaf

Director of Strategic Operations, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

[1] Aseil Abu-Baker & Marya Farah (2020) Established Practice: Palestinian Exclusion at the Dead Sea, Journal of Palestine Studies, 49:2, 48-64, DOI: 10.1525/jps.2020.49.2.48