This article is based on reporting by AFP and The Associated Press.

The emergency listing procedure allows UNESCO to provide immediate protective measures for sites threatened by conflict.

Published On 24 Jul 202624 Jul 2026

UNESCO has added sites in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon to the list of endangered World Heritage sites, despite Israeli objections.

At a UNESCO meeting in Busan, South Korea, a committee vote on Friday placed six locations on both the main World Heritage list and the endangered list simultaneously via an emergency procedure, citing damage from ongoing conflicts in the area.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

end of list

The locations include a biblical archaeological site in the West Bank and five castles in southern Lebanon, one of which was recently seized by Israeli troops.

Member states of the UN’s cultural agency approved the listings despite a campaign by Israel’s foreign ministry to have them rejected.

The West Bank site, Sebastia, is located on a hilltop near Nablus and is recognized by historians as ancient Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel.

Its ruins span the Iron Age through Roman, Byzantine and Islamic rule, and Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist is buried there.

Palestinian officials initially requested the listing in 2012, arguing that the site required protection as Israeli authorities advanced plans to expropriate about 200 hectares of surrounding land for a national park.

That project would add a fence, entry fees and a road restricted to use by Israelis, bypassing the Palestinian tourism trade built around the ruins.

In Lebanon, five fortresses in the Mount Amel region were listed, among them Beaufort Castle, a medieval stronghold captured by Israeli forces in May during their war with Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s culture ministry said Israeli bombardment had already destroyed one of the five, Shamaa Castle, and threatened Beaufort itself.

Israel disputes this, alleging Hezbollah turned Beaufort into a military position with tunnels beneath it.

A Lebanese delegate rejected that claim, insisting the castles have served only tourism since Israeli troops withdrew from the south in 2000.

The dispute reflects a wider rift between Israel and the United Nations agency, which Israel left in 2019 accusing it of bias and now attends only as an observer.

Israel’s foreign minister said the West Bank listing sought to erase “the Jewish connection to this land”.

A Palestinian delegate credited Sebastia’s residents with protecting the site “despite occupation, restrictions” and repeated attempts to sever their ties.

Earlier this week, the ancient Lebanese city of Tyre was also added to the endangered list.

An Al Jazeera investigation comparing satellite images from January to June this year found a deliberate pattern of land-clearing and demolition across the town.

The decision highlights the growing tension over cultural heritage amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel has criticized UNESCO for what it calls politicized decisions. The inclusion of sites in southern Lebanon, particularly one recently entered by Israeli troops, underscores the impact of the ongoing war. Future UNESCO meetings may see more such emergency listings if conflicts persist.