Gaza: The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has reached a consensus on four critical decisions concerning the State of Palestine, focusing on the state of conservation of Palestinian World Heritage sites listed as endangered. These decisions were adopted during the 48th session of the Committee held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from July 19 to 29, 2026.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the decisions pertain to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town, the Saint Hilarion Monastery/Tell Umm Amer in the Gaza Strip, and the Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir. The Committee emphasized the religious and cultural importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls across the three monotheistic religions, keeping the four Palestinian sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee also declared all Israeli legislative and administrative measures aimed at altering the character and status of these sites as invalid. It highlighted the urgency of sending reactive monitoring missions to the Old City of Jerusalem and Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town to assess their conservation status and recommend necessary measures to protect their universal value.
Palestine's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Adel Atieh, expressed concerns over what he described as a systematic Israeli policy aimed at expanding colonization through control over cultural heritage sites. He cited recent Israeli activities at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron as violations of the World Heritage Convention and called for UNESCO and its member states to hold Israel accountable for these actions.
The State of Palestine underscored the need for international cooperation to protect Palestinian cultural heritage, emphasizing that it should be preserved as a part of authentic human heritage. Ambassador Atieh expressed gratitude to the countries that supported the recent decisions and committed to working with UNESCO to document violations and mobilize international support to safeguard Palestinian cultural heritage.
These developments occur amidst escalating Israeli actions against Palestinian cultural heritage sites, with ongoing attempts to alter and damage these sites, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, where access to holy sites and freedom of worship are reportedly being undermined.