Bethlehem Holy Sites on Top of World Heritage List
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- Published on Friday, 29 June 2012 18:05
PNN
Friday, 29th June, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has voted on the Palestinian bid to put the City of Bethlehem on the list of sites of World Heritage.
The city of Bethlehem, the Nativity Church and the pilgrimage route are now on the top of the sites on the list. 13 members of the Committee voted for this bid, six members opposed it, while two members abstained from voting.
Omar Awadallah, head of the UN department at the foreign ministry, said that this victory is a political and cultural triumph over the Israeli occupation.
Awadallah told PNN this victory is a shock for the United States and Israel that opposed the Palestinian bid, and always attempted to prevent Palestinians from heading to the UN institutions to obtain their legal rights that are guaranteed by the international legitimacy.
He also said that this approval will increase the protection of the heritage and will represent a new assertion of a political sovereignty in the place, according to the 1972 World Heritage Convention.
Bethlehem has been chosen to be enrolled in the World Heritage list after Palestinians urged on protecting the birthplace of Jesus Christ from collapsing due to the Israeli occupation practices in the land such as; the Apartheid Wall, Settlement and the Israeli siege that kills the social and economic life of the city.
Awadallah confirmed that this is a national achievement which will be a milestone in the history of Modern Palestine.
The City of Bethlehem will tonight celebrate this historical victory in the manager square, in front of the Nativity Church.
