Palestine’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced that 12 new sites have been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage Tentative List.
The move raised the total number of Palestinian sites on the Tentative List to 23, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
It said the registrations were made in cooperation with Palestine’s permanent delegation to UNESCO to strengthen the international presence of Palestinian heritage and highlight its cultural and natural diversity.
Inclusion on the Tentative List precedes the preparation of nomination files for the World Heritage List and helps strengthen efforts to protect and preserve the sites while expanding international cooperation in heritage conservation and management, the ministry said.
“The step comes amid an Israeli escalation campaign targeting Palestinian heritage sites,” the ministry added.
It reaffirmed its commitment to documenting, protecting and preserving Palestinian cultural heritage for future generations.
Palestinian authorities say archaeological and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank face continued Israeli escalation, including field measures and expanded administrative control over sites of historical value.
The ministry cited several of the newly listed sites, including Sebastia in the northern occupied West Bank, Solomon’s Pools south of Bethlehem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
