SAFA- The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has unanimously adopted four resolutions concerning the State of Palestine, addressing the conservation status of Palestinian World Heritage sites listed as endangered.

The resolutions were adopted during the committee's 48th session, held in Busan, South Korea, from July 19 to 29, 2026. They cover the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls, the Old Town of Hebron, the Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in the Gaza Strip, and Battir: the Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem.

The committee reaffirmed the exceptional religious and cultural significance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions. It also decided to keep all four Palestinian sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The resolutions declared invalid all legislative and administrative measures taken by Israel aimed at altering the character, legal status, or historical identity of the sites, including the so-called "Basic Law" on Jerusalem, stating that such measures are null and void and carry no legal effect.

In collaboration with the World Heritage Center and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the committee also urged the immediate deployment of reactive monitoring missions to the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls as well as the Old Town of Hebron. 

These missions would carry out independent, expert assessments of the conservation status of these sites and suggest actions to protect their integrity, authenticity, and exceptional universal value.

Addressing the committee, Palestine's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Adel Attiyeh, warned that the violations form part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at expanding settlements and seizing Palestinian land through control of cultural heritage sites. 

He also accused Israel of imposing policies of Judaization in occupied Jerusalem and continuing attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites. Attiyeh highlighted recent actions at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, including construction work and the installation of a roof at one of its entrances without the approval of the State of Palestine or coordination with UNESCO.

He said these actions violate the World Heritage Convention and international legal standards governing the protection of cultural property in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Palestinian representative called on UNESCO and its member states to fulfill their political and legal responsibilities by taking action to halt Israeli violations and hold Israel accountable for breaching relevant international agreements and resolutions.

The State of Palestine stressed that protecting Palestinian cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is a shared international responsibility. It emphasized the need to preserve this heritage as an integral part of humanity's cultural legacy and to protect it from destruction, distortion, and falsification while ensuring respect for the historical and legal status of the occupied Palestinian territory.