Palestine: UNESCO Votes the Old City of Hebron a World Heritage Site

UNESCO declared the Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City of Hebron World Heritage Sites at the 41^st session of the committee, which took place in Krakow, Poland, in July 2017.

The Old City of Hebron is the fourth Palestinian site to make the list, which also includes Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Battir.

On Friday 7^th July 2017, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted on the application, which was submitted by Palestinians who considered that the Old City of Hebron, including areas overwhelmed by settlers, is area renowned for its “outstanding universal value.”

The decision was made by secret ballot following pressure from Israel, which attempted to combat the success of the decision by appealing to numerous diplomats, including US ambassador Nikki Haley. However, these attempts proved fruitless after twelve countries voted in favour and only three oppositions; six countries abstained.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Hebron Municipality and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, submitted the application for the city's nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List on 30^th January 2017, before formally requesting that the submission be put on the “fast track” process on 21^st May 2017, following an increase in Israeli attacks on the Old City of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque and its surroundings. This request was supported by technical reports that confirmed the series of attacks questioning the authenticity of Palestinian cultural heritage in the city, in addition to the violation of the exceptionally stringent international values adopted in the preparation of the technical file for the nomination in accordance to the second, fourth and sixth criteria for the registration of cultural heritage sites within UNESCO standards, as adopted by the Paris International Conference as part of the World Heritage Convention of 1972.