MORE ANTIQUITIES-LOOTING ARRESTS IN ISRAEL:

Construction workers held for antiquities theft
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Eight Palestinian construction workers illegally
employed at a building site in Modi'in were under
arrest for carrying out antiquities theft at a nearby archaeological site, Israel's Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday.

The eight suspects were caught "red-handed" just after midnight Tuesday morning after a chase through a second temple period underground compound at the site, the head of the Antiquities Authority's anti-theft division Amir Ganor said.

[...]

Although this seems like good news, the conclusion of the article is discouraging:

Despite the overall drop in violence in Israel, the number of antiquities theft has risen more than 50 percent in the last year alone.

In 2004 there were 314 reported cases of antiquities theft, compared to less than 200 in 2003.

The phenomenon of antiquities theft has taken on gold rush dimensions, with an antiquities site now plundered every day on average.