Tourism and Antiquities calls for confronting the occupation’s decision to annex Palestinian archaeological sites

Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities called on UNESCO and international organizations working in heritage to intervene immediately to stop the escalation carried out by Israel against our people and the Palestinian national heritage. This came after the so-called Ministerial Committee for Legislation in the occupation government issued a decision through which it seeks to apply Israeli laws by holding the Israeli occupation antiquities authority responsible for the antiquities in the West Bank. Therefore, this decision constitutes an actual annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories, which violates international law and agreements. It is a legitimization of the annexation and settlement process carried out by the occupation government. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirms that these criminal acts aim to control the Palestinian heritage and plunder the cultural resources of our people. These decisions come in light of the escalation carried out by the extremist occu pation government against our people in all parts of the homeland. The Israeli occupation's evasion of international legal responsibilities and agreements related to the protection of heritage is one of the evidences that this criminal occupation seeks, within its escalating policy, to obliterate the Palestinian heritage, which is considered a witness to the right of our people and their close connection to the land of Palestine. This escalation confirms to the world that the occupation is proceeding according to a clear plan that aims to Judaize the Palestinian lands, empower the settlers, and isolate the Palestinian cities and villages from each other. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities affirms that the heritage of our Palestinian people is a human heritage and the world is required to stand up to the occupation and deter it from practicing its colonial plans. It also affirms that our people are steadfast in this land in which they have lived and interacted with all its components for thousands of ye ars and will remain steadfast, defending their national rights despite all the hostile practices and measures carried out by the occupation. The Ministry also stated that these actions violate international agreements and treaties such as the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocol (1954-1999) and the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property of 1970. Therefore, the Ministry calls on all international institutions to confront these decisions and prevent the occupation authorities from implementing them. Source: Maan News Agency