Wary of Israeli appropriation, Palestine lists 14 sites with UNESCO

For Palestinians maintaining their onshore and heritage, which is nether Israeli concern since 1948, became a nationalist priority.  The Palestinian Authority has formally moved to registry 14 caller taste and earthy sites connected UNESCO’s World Heritage tentative list successful a bid to safeguard its taste and humanities sites from Israeli appropriation and attacks.

“Palestine is not conscionable a abstraction of governmental conflict, but a civilisation rooted successful quality history,” Marwa Adwan, acting director-general of World Heritage astatine the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, told Al Jazeera.

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“This diverseness is the strongest effect to attempts to monopolise the humanities narrative,” she said, referring to Israeli attempts to due symbols of Palestinian civilization and history.

The submission announced by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities connected January 1, aims to assistance planetary designation to endangered landmarks crossed the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israel’s genocidal war. More than 200 humanities sites were destroyed by Israeli bombing successful what experts called a “cultural genocide“.

The caller database brings the full fig of Palestinian sites connected the tentative database to 24, covering a immense timeline from the Canaanite city-states dating backmost to 3,000 BC to Gaza’s Old City.

The 14 submitted sites

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed the afloat database of sites submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The database spans prehistoric caves, spiritual routes, and modern architecture. The sites are:

• The historical centre of Gaza, including the Great Omari Mosque and the Church of Saint Porphyrius
• The Byzantine Church of Jabalia (Mukheitim)
• Canaanite city-states
• The historical metropolis of Nablus and its environs
• The Holy Miracles of Jesus Christ successful Palestine
• Monasteries of the Jerusalem wilderness (El-Bariyah)
• Maqamat (shrines) successful Palestine
• Jerusalem h2o strategy Qanat es-Sabeel
• Jabal al-Fureidis / Herodium
• The Lower Jordan River Valley
• Archaeological Palaces of Tulul Abu el-‘Alayiq
• Cultural scenery of Wadi Kharitoun prehistoric caves
• Dwelling caves (Al-Maghayir) of Palestine
• Modern architecture successful Palestine

Marwa Adwan, acting director-general of World Heritage astatine the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism [Courtesy of Marwa Adwan]

Saving Gaza’s history

A important constituent of the bid is the extortion of practice successful Gaza, which has faced catastrophic demolition during Israel’s genocidal war. The database includes the Great Omari Mosque, built astir 1,400 years ago, and the Church of Saint Porphyrius, some targeted during Israeli bombardment. The Greek Orthodox Church was built successful 425.

Adwan described the determination arsenic a strategical measurement for the “day after” the war.

“Listing sites similar the Great Omari Mosque … is an archetypal planetary designation of their planetary worth and their urgent request for protection,” she explained.

“We are counting connected UNESCO not conscionable for funding, but to papers damages arsenic an planetary ineligible root to sphere our taste rights.”

‘Heritage is simply a bridge’

The inaugural has drawn a crisp effect from the Israeli government, peculiarly regarding sites located successful Area C of the West Bank, specified arsenic Herodium (Jabal al-Fureidis), which is nether afloat Israeli subject control. Area C forms much than 60 percent of the West Bank.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu sent an urgent missive to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected Tuesday, labeling the Palestinian determination arsenic “archaeological terrorism”.

Eliyahu demanded the enactment of a authorities task unit to artifact the bid, arguing it is simply a “strategic arena for a governmental struggle” aimed astatine seizing sites of “Jewish humanities importance”.

“Lack of effect volition beryllium interpreted successful the planetary arena arsenic soundless acceptance,” Eliyahu warned, claiming the determination is simply a prelude to “international ineligible interventions”.

Israel has been accused of erasing Palestinian taste heritage and weaponising archaeology to due Palestinian land. It has designated dozens of Palestinian archaeological sites successful the occupied West Bank arsenic “Israeli practice sites” to drawback Palestinians onshore and entrench its occupation.

The UN General Assembly successful September 2024 passed a solution asking Israel to extremity its concern of Palestinian wrong a year. The solution came aft the International Court of Justice ruled that Israeli concern of Palestinian territories was unlawful.

Palestinian officials person rejected the Israeli characterisation.

“Heritage is not a weapon, but a bridge,” Adwan told Al Jazeera. “Trying to nexus practice to information oregon calling it ‘terrorism’ is simply a deliberate distortion.”

She noted that the files were selected based connected method criteria to item Palestine’s spiritual and taste diversity, including the “Miracles of Jesus” way and the Monasteries of the Jerusalem Wilderness (El-Bariyah).

“This reflects a uncommon taste and spiritual pluralism that indispensable beryllium preserved for each of humanity,” Adwan added.

Severing UN ties

The enactment implicit practice unfolds arsenic Israel moves to chopped ties with the United Nations strategy entirely.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that Israel would “immediately sever each contact” with respective UN bodies, including UN Women and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, citing “anti-Israel bias”.

Last twelvemonth Israel banned the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is considered a lifeline for Palestinians successful the occupied territories arsenic good arsenic successful neighbouring countries hosting Palestinian refugees. More than 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homeland starring up to the instauration of Israel successful 1948.

This follows a caller determination from the medication of US President Donald Trump to retreat from UNESCO for a 2nd time. The United States, Israel’s closest determination ally, has besides chopped funds to UNRWA.

Despite the hostile diplomatic climate, Adwan insisted the Palestinian bid is simply a “sovereign right”.

“It is not a contention against time,” she said, referring to Israeli colony expansion. “It is simply a strategical measurement to integrate these sites into extortion plans earlier it is excessively late.”