Paris: The Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry Wednesday welcomed UNESCO's adoption of two resolutions in favor of Palestine.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Executive Board unanimously adopted two resolutions in favor of Palestine. The resolutions, titled "Occupied Palestine" and the "Implementation of 42 C/Resolution 49 and 220 EX/Decision 34 concerning educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories," were adopted during the 221st session of its Executive Council held in Paris.
The Ministry emphasized in a press statement the necessity of implementing the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), issued on July 19, 2024, which declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories as "unlawful." The opinion also noted that Israel's separation practices in the occupied West Bank contravened international laws regarding "racial segregation" and "apartheid."
The adoption of these resolutions, the Ministry affirmed, demonstrates the international community's capacity to fulfill its responsibilities toward peoples affected by Israeli colonialism while safeguarding their heritage and history.
The Ministry highlighted the significance of these decisions in confronting efforts to destroy Palestinian historical, heritage, and cultural sites, including violations in Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque. It also mentioned the threats posed by Israeli expansion to the world heritage site 'Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir.'
Additionally, the Ministry urged the international community and UNESCO to take concrete steps to compel Israel to halt its activities, warning that non-compliance with UNESCO resolutions and international law would embolden further violations and destruction by the occupying authorities.
The Ministry called for UNESCO to send a monitoring mission and a representative of the Director General to Jerusalem to gather firsthand information on Israeli activities and report to relevant authorities to prevent further deterioration.
