"Tourism" announces the approval of the registration of 12 new Palestinian sites on the preliminary list of world heritage

SadaNews - The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced today, Thursday, the approval of the registration of 12 new Palestinian sites on the preliminary list of world heritage with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the permanent mission of the State of Palestine to UNESCO, thus increasing the number of Palestinian sites listed on the preliminary list to 23 sites.

The ministry confirmed that this achievement reflects national efforts aimed at enhancing the presence of Palestinian heritage at the international level, highlighting its cultural and natural diversity, and establishing its status as an integral part of the global human heritage. It represents a fundamental step prior to preparing nomination files for inclusion on the world heritage list, and contributes to enhancing the chances of protecting and preserving them, while expanding the horizons of international cooperation in the fields of heritage conservation and management.

The ministry added that this achievement comes amid a dangerous escalation campaign by the occupation against Palestinian heritage sites, as recently targeted a number of important archaeological sites such as Sebastia, Solomon's Pools, and the Ibrahimi Mosque, aiming to isolate these sites from their surroundings and control them.

The ministry renewed its commitment to continue working on documenting and protecting Palestinian cultural heritage, despite the challenges facing heritage and archaeological sites, ensuring their preservation for future generations.