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Israel reportedly having trouble getting artifacts loaned to White House

The objects, from the Israel Antiquities Authority, are said to be at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

The Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., January 2023. Photo by Jud McCranie via Wikimedia Commons.
The Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., January 2023. Photo by Jud McCranie via Wikimedia Commons.

Wanted: Ancient ceramic oil lamps from Israel. Last seen on loan to the White House and suspected to be at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

Documents, including classified ones at Mar-a-Lago, have been the subject of ongoing investigations and made front-page news. But another sort of object on the premises is not supposed to be there, according to reports.

The Israel Antiquities Authority loaned ancient artifacts to the White House during the Trump administration for use in a Hanukkah ceremony. The candelabra/oil lamps were not used, and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their return.

The antiques are reportedly at Mar-a-Lago, with Israeli officials having difficulty securing their return. It remains unclear whether Trump, currently the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race, knows that the Israeli cultural objects are at his resort.

“In this political environment, he may be as reliable a supporter as possible that the Democratic caucus would sign off on for the position,” political science scholar Dan Schnur told JNS.
“Anyone who attempts to pose a threat or attack Israel will face devastating consequences,” said Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the global body.
“I think they’re much more susceptible to being targeted if a public official wants to target them, if a community wants to target them,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer told JNS.
The reversal “sends an unfortunate signal at a time of rising antisemitism and sustained efforts to isolate Israel economically,” Evan R. Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS.