Palestinian ministry applauds Jordan’s support during UNESCO Committee

AMMAN — The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday praised Jordan for its key role in securing the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee during its 46th session in New Delhi.

The committee's decisions included the preservation of Palestinian sites listed as World Heritage in Danger and the retention of Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, on the list of sites in danger, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The sites protected by this decision are the Old City of Jerusalem and its surrounding walls, the Old City of Hebron, and the Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir, referred to as “the Land of Olives and Vines”.

In a statement, the ministry condemned Israel's continued attempts to distort history and erase Palestinian heritage and culture, and criticised Israel's efforts to replace historical truths with myths and false narratives, asserting that these attempts are doomed to failure.

The ministry also expressed its gratitude to the members of the World Heritage Committee for their decision to keep Hebron on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, especially in light of the constant threats posed by the Israeli occupation, which seeks to alter and Judaize the site.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged UNESCO to expose the colonial schemes of the Israeli occupation and reject the Israeli government's false claims related to undermining Palestinian rights.

It called on UNESCO to implement the committee's decision and send a monitoring mission to oversee violations in the holy city.

It also called for strong international pressure to stop the Israeli government’s unilateral and illegal measures, to impose global sanctions on Israel, and to enforce the International Court of Justice ruling of 19 July 2024.

The World Heritage Committee is one of the two bodies governing the Convention for the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of the representatives of 21 States, elected from the 195 States parties to the Convention, according to the UNESCO website.