RAMALLAH / Qais Abu Samra / Anadolu

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO adopted on Wednesday four decisions affirming the invalidity of Israeli measures against Palestinian heritage sites, and kept these sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The Palestinian news agency "WAFA" said that the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted four decisions related to Palestine during its 48th session held from 19 to 29 July in Busan, South Korea.

The decisions covered the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, the Old City of Hebron, the Monastery of Saint Hilarion (Tell Umm Amer) in the Gaza Strip, and Battir: Cultural Landscape in the south of Jerusalem.

The committee kept the four Palestinian sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger, according to the agency.

The committee reaffirmed the exceptional religious and cultural significance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions.

It affirmed the invalidity of all Israeli actions and measures aimed at altering the character and legal and historical status of the Palestinian sites, including the so-called "Basic Law" on Jerusalem, considering them null and void and without any legal effect.

It also called for sending reactive monitoring missions to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, and to the Old City of Hebron, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), to assess the state of conservation of the two sites and provide necessary recommendations for their protection.

During the session, the Permanent Delegate of Palestine to UNESCO, Ambassador Adil Atieh, said that Israel pursues a "systematic policy" to promote settlement and seize Palestinian lands through controlling cultural heritage sites and imposing a policy of Judaization in Jerusalem.

Atieh pointed to recent attacks on the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron, including carrying out construction works and placing a roof at one of its entrances without the approval of the State of Palestine or coordination with UNESCO.

He considered that this constitutes a violation of the World Heritage Convention and international rules related to the protection of cultural property in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Atieh called on UNESCO and member states to assume their political and legal responsibilities, and to work to stop Israeli violations and hold Israel accountable for violating relevant international conventions and resolutions.

He stressed that protecting Palestinian cultural heritage is a collective international responsibility, expressing his thanks to the countries that supported the adoption of the decisions, and affirming continued work with UNESCO and member states to follow up on their implementation, document violations, and mobilize international support to protect Palestinian cultural heritage.

The adoption of the new decisions is an extension of previous UNESCO positions, as the World Heritage Committee, in its 47th session in July 2025, adopted four decisions on Palestinian heritage sites, emphasizing the protection of sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger and rejecting Israeli measures contrary to the organization's conventions.