Unesco Adds West Bank Site, Lebanese Castles To World Heritage List

SEOUL, South Korea — A United Nations committee voted Friday to inscribe a awesome archaeological tract successful nan West Bank and a group of castles successful confederate Lebanon arsenic World Heritage sites, contempt objections from Israel, which had urged nan committee to cull nan bids.

The determination astatine a U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization gathering successful South Korea came days aft Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged nan committee to cull efforts to designate nan mini West Bank municipality of Sebastia and nan Lebanese castles, calling nan nominations a “weaponization of taste heritage.”

At their gathering successful Busan, members of nan UNESCO committee decided to spot Sebastia and 5 castles successful Lebanon’s Mount Amel area connected some nan World Heritage List and nan List of World Heritage successful Danger aft reviewing nan nominations connected an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts successful nan Middle East.

Sebastia, a hilltop municipality astir six miles northwest of Nablus successful nan Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars arsenic ancient Samaria, superior of nan biblical Kingdom of Israel. The area’s archaeological remains span nan Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. Christian and Islamic contented holds that John nan Baptist was buried there, according to a UNESCO website.

Sebastia’s nomination, first submitted by nan Palestinian delegation to UNESCO successful 2012, based on that World Heritage position was needed to thief sphere nan site, saying it remains mostly undeveloped nether Israeli power and requires further conservation contempt attracting tourists.

The nickname comes arsenic Israel, which does not admit a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate ample swaths of onshore astir nan site, moreover arsenic it faces unit to ace down connected unit by Israeli settlers successful nan Palestinian territory.

The 5 castles successful nan Mount Amel region are recognized for their layered architectural heritage, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and section influences, reflecting nan improvement of fortified architecture complete astir 9 centuries, according to a UNESCO description.

Adel Naim Daoud Atieh, a personnel of nan Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said nan World Heritage nickname rewards nan perseverance of Sebastia’s residents, “who person protected this bonzer tract done generations, contempt occupation, restrictions, and repeated attempts to abstracted them from their ain heritage.”

Israel withdrew from UNESCO successful 2019, accusing nan statement of being biased against it and of downplaying its humanities ties to nan Holy Land. A personnel of nan Israeli delegation, which is attending nan Busan meetings arsenic observers, said it was a “shame politicization has ruined UNESCO and led to insult of history.”

In Tuesday’s statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused nan Palestinian delegation of waging a “hostile, one-sided campaign” astatine UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia arsenic an area facing an emergency, calling nan effort a governmental effort to “erase nan site’s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history.”

The ministry besides objected to efforts to database Beaufort Castle successful confederate Lebanon arsenic a World Heritage site. The castle was portion of nan information covering 5 castles successful nan Mount Amel area.

The ministry said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has turned Beaufort Castle into a subject stronghold by building tunnels beneath nan tract and launching rockets from nan area, and accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.

UNESCO and nan Lebanese embassy successful South Korea declined to remark connected nan Israeli claims astir Hezbollah. At Friday’s meeting, a Lebanese delegate said nan castles person been utilized “only for taste and tourism purposes” since Israel’s withdrawal from confederate Lebanon successful 2000 and accused Israeli media of circulating images of tourer accommodation arsenic subject tunnels.

The UNESCO committee connected Wednesday placed different Lebanese site, Tyre, an ancient Phoenician metropolis successful nan confederate portion of nan country, connected nan database of world practice sites successful danger.

Tong-Hyung writes for nan Associated Press.