Palestinian Welcome to UNESCO Decisions on Protecting Jerusalem and Historical Sites on World Heritage List

Palestinian official institutions welcomed the adoption by consensus of four resolutions concerning the State of Palestine by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during its 48th session held in South Korea, regarding the state of conservation of Palestinian World Heritage sites inscribed on the World Heritage List in Danger.

The resolutions covered the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, the Old City of Hebron, the Saint Hilarion Monastery (Tell Umm Amer) in the Gaza Strip, and Battir (Cultural Landscape in Southern Jerusalem), while keeping these sites on the World Heritage List in Danger and affirming the exceptional religious and cultural importance of Jerusalem.

The committee affirmed the invalidity of all legislative and administrative measures taken by the Israeli occupation authorities to alter the character or legal and historical status of these sites.

For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that the adoption of the resolutions reflects the success of Palestinian diplomatic efforts in coordination with Jordan, the Arab group, and supporting countries.

The ministry stressed that the resolutions come in the context of Israel, the occupying power, continuing its systematic and serious violations against Palestinian World Heritage sites and cultural properties, including attempts at forgery, distortion, and desecration, and flagrant violation of UNESCO's mandates, especially in occupied Jerusalem, including undermining freedom of worship, freedom of access, the right to education, and the continued incursions of extremist settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The ministry warned of escalating violations within a systematic policy aimed at imposing temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque, changing the historical, legal, and demographic reality of East Jerusalem, and assaulting holy sites.

It affirmed the necessity of dispatching reactive monitoring missions to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, and to the Old City of Hebron, to ensure independent professional assessment and provide necessary recommendations for the preservation of the outstanding universal value of these sites.

For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf welcomed the adoption of the four resolutions, affirming that they represent a new legal and diplomatic victory for the Palestinian right, especially with the retention of the Old City of Jerusalem and Hebron on the World Heritage List in Danger.

It clarified that the resolutions renew the affirmation of the invalidity of all Israeli measures aimed at changing the historical and legal character of holy sites.

For his part, Palestine's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Adel Atieh, warned of the continuation of Israeli violations against Palestinian heritage sites, especially in Jerusalem and Hebron, calling on UNESCO and member states to assume their responsibilities and implement the resolutions to ensure the protection and preservation of Palestinian cultural heritage for future generations.

For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities welcomed the resolution, affirming that the adoption of the resolutions renews the international community's commitment to protecting Palestinian cultural heritage.

It indicated that it will continue working with UNESCO and member states to follow up on the implementation of the resolutions, document violations, and mobilize the necessary international support for the preservation of Palestinian World Heritage sites.

In turn, the Jerusalem Governorate welcomed the resolution, stating that it affirms the historical, cultural, and human status of the holy city and constitutes an acknowledgment of the continuing risks it faces as a result of Israeli occupation policies and measures in occupied Jerusalem.

The governorate added that the resolution should be a starting point for effective international action that goes beyond resolutions and recommendations, as Jerusalem needs actual protection on the ground to ensure the cessation of occupation policies aimed at changing its character, identity, and heritage, and to guarantee respect for international law and relevant UN resolutions, stressing that what Jerusalem is witnessing is no longer limited to scattered crimes and violations, but has become a substitution reality based on colonialism, forced displacement, house demolitions, land and property seizures, intensified incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, restrictions on worshippers, and targeting of Palestinian institutions, within a systematic policy aimed at imposing new facts and changing the demographic, geographic, and cultural fabric of the city.