Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Rola Ma'ayah announced today, Sunday, the successful registration of the site of Ancient Jericho (Tel Sultan) on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She stated that this achievement was accomplished during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, thus making Palestine officially home to five registered sites after Jerusalem (the Old City and its walls), Bethlehem (the birthplace of Jesus Christ: the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage route), Battir (Palestine: land of grapes and olives: the cultural landscape of southern Jerusalem), and Hebron (the old town of Hebron).
Ma'ayah emphasized the importance of the decision, considering the site an integral part of diverse Palestinian heritage of exceptional human value and its global significance as the oldest fortified city in the world, deserving to be one of the World Heritage sites. She noted the substantial cooperation among all relevant parties in achieving this accomplishment, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Palestinian mission to UNESCO, the municipality of Jericho, local and international experts, and everyone who contributed to preparing the nomination file.
For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the World Heritage Committee's decision, stating that it "came as a result of Palestinian diplomatic and technical efforts to preserve the rights of the Palestinian people in all aspects, including cultural rights." It added that this registration affirms the unique global value of the site and of Palestine in general, calling it an "exceptional global testimony to one of the oldest societies that established the first social, economic, and political system in the world."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stressed "the importance of preserving Palestine and its World Heritage sites from the deliberate sabotage attempts by the Israeli colonial occupying authorities and their various tools, which aim to erase, destroy, distort, and falsify this heritage and history." It also called on the countries of the international community and UNESCO to protect Palestine and its people.
