Exhibtion at Royal Ontario Museum

A planned Toronto exhibit of ancient Middle Eastern manuscripts is threatening to plunge Canada, along with the Royal Ontario Museum, into the thick of the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
In June the ROM as it is known, was to have 16 of the scrolls, but Palestinian officials objected this month (April) as Hamdan Taha, director general of the archaeological department in the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has argued that the scrolls were acquired illegally by Israel when it annexed East Jerusalem He said allowing artifacts illegally acquired into the country would violate international law and it would be unethical for the museum to display the scrolls.
ROM director William Thorsell issued a statement Thursday saying he would not comment on the controversy.
The ROM is in "consultations" over the issue, but a spokeswoman for the ROM would not say what form those consultations might take.