1. It was the decision of a military dictatorship,» said Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt‘s antiquities. «Ramses will be happy now,» Hawass told AFP. «He would have been unhappy in his tomb knowing that the statue was staying in such a mess where nobody can see him anymore.» The transfer was practiced last month with a fake statue, because Hawass said he «would not allow mistakes» and would take «all responsibility on himself.» Some Egyptian archeologists, politicians and intellectuals have opposed the transfer, alleging it was decided under U.S. pressure because Ramses II, believed to be the pharaoh who oppressed the Jews and forced Moses to take his people out of Egypt, was perceived as an anti–Israeli symbol.