Wary of Israeli appropriation, Palestine lists 14 sites with UNESCO

For Palestinians maintaining their land and heritage, which is under Israeli occupation since 1948, became a national priority.  The Palestinian Authority has formally moved to register 14 new cultural and natural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage tentative list in a bid to safeguard its cultural and historical sites from Israeli appropriation and attacks.

“Palestine is not just a space of political conflict, but a civilisation rooted in human history,” Marwa Adwan, acting director-general of World Heritage at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, told Al Jazeera.

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“This diversity is the strongest response to attempts to monopolise the historical narrative,” she said, referring to Israeli attempts to appropriate symbols of Palestinian culture and history.

The submission announced by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on January 1, aims to grant international recognition to endangered landmarks across the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israel’s genocidal war. More than 200 historical sites were destroyed by Israeli bombing in what experts called a “cultural genocide“.

The new list brings the total number of Palestinian sites on the tentative list to 24, covering a vast timeline from the Canaanite city-states dating back to 3,000 BC to Gaza’s Old City.

The 14 submitted sites

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed the full list of sites submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list spans prehistoric caves, religious routes, and modern architecture. The sites are:

• The historic centre of Gaza, including the Great Omari Mosque and the Church of Saint Porphyrius
• The Byzantine Church of Jabalia (Mukheitim)
• Canaanite city-states
• The historic city of Nablus and its environs
• The Holy Miracles of Jesus Christ in Palestine
• Monasteries of the Jerusalem wilderness (El-Bariyah)
• Maqamat (shrines) in Palestine
• Jerusalem water system Qanat es-Sabeel
• Jabal al-Fureidis / Herodium
• The Lower Jordan River Valley
• Archaeological Palaces of Tulul Abu el-‘Alayiq
• Cultural landscape of Wadi Kharitoun prehistoric caves
• Dwelling caves (Al-Maghayir) of Palestine
• Modern architecture in Palestine

Marwa Adwan, acting director-general of World Heritage at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism [Courtesy of Marwa Adwan]

Saving Gaza’s history

A crucial component of the bid is the protection of heritage in Gaza, which has faced catastrophic destruction during Israel’s genocidal war. The list includes the Great Omari Mosque, built nearly 1,400 years ago, and the Church of Saint Porphyrius, both targeted during Israeli bombardment. The Greek Orthodox Church was built in 425.

Adwan described the move as a strategic step for the “day after” the war.

“Listing sites like the Great Omari Mosque … is an initial international recognition of their global value and their urgent need for protection,” she explained.

“We are counting on UNESCO not just for funding, but to document damages as an international legal source to preserve our cultural rights.”

‘Heritage is a bridge’

The initiative has drawn a sharp response from the Israeli government, particularly regarding sites located in Area C of the West Bank, such as Herodium (Jabal al-Fureidis), which is under full Israeli military control. Area C forms more than 60 percent of the West Bank.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, labeling the Palestinian move as “archaeological terrorism”.

Eliyahu demanded the formation of a government task force to block the bid, arguing it is a “strategic arena for a political struggle” aimed at seizing sites of “Jewish historical importance”.

“Lack of response will be interpreted in the international arena as silent acceptance,” Eliyahu warned, claiming the move is a prelude to “international legal interventions”.

Israel has been accused of erasing Palestinian cultural heritage and weaponising archaeology to appropriate Palestinian land. It has designated dozens of Palestinian archaeological sites in the occupied West Bank as “Israeli heritage sites” to grab Palestinians land and entrench its occupation.

The UN General Assembly in September 2024 passed a resolution asking Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian within a year. The resolution came after the International Court of Justice ruled that Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was unlawful.

Palestinian officials have rejected the Israeli characterisation.

“Heritage is not a weapon, but a bridge,” Adwan told Al Jazeera. “Trying to link heritage to security or calling it ‘terrorism’ is a deliberate distortion.”

She noted that the files were selected based on technical criteria to highlight Palestine’s religious and cultural diversity, including the “Miracles of Jesus” route and the Monasteries of the Jerusalem Wilderness (El-Bariyah).

“This reflects a rare cultural and religious pluralism that must be preserved for all of humanity,” Adwan added.

Severing UN ties

The row over heritage unfolds as Israel moves to cut ties with the United Nations system entirely.

On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that Israel would “immediately sever all contact” with several UN bodies, including UN Women and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, citing “anti-Israel bias”.

Last year Israel banned the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is considered a lifeline for Palestinians in the occupied territories as well as in neighbouring countries hosting Palestinian refugees. More than 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homeland leading up to the creation of Israel in 1948.

This follows a recent decision from the administration of US President Donald Trump to withdraw from UNESCO for a second time. The United States, Israel’s closest regional ally, has also cut funds to UNRWA.

Despite the hostile diplomatic climate, Adwan insisted the Palestinian bid is a “sovereign right”.

“It is not a race against time,” she said, referring to Israeli settlement expansion. “It is a strategic step to integrate these sites into protection plans before it is too late.”