Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Rula Ma’ay’ah announced on Friday registering the Old City of al-Khalil and the Ibrahimi Mosque on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The decision passed in the 41st meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Kraków makes al-Khalil the fourth Palestinian site registered in the List in addition to Jerusalem Bethlehem and Battir.
Ma’ay’ah described the resolution as a “historic achievement” that confirms the Palestinian identity of al-Khalil and the Ibrahimi Mosque and thus refuting the Israeli lies about the history of the city.
She added that this shall protect the Ibrahimi Mosque and the surrounding area from the Israeli attacks and continued Judaization operations.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities will seek UNESCO’s help to bring in development projects aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of al-Khalil and rehabilitating the tourism infrastructure there in order to promote it as a world heritage site that is worth visiting Ma’ay’ah stated.
The Palestinian Ministry filed on 30th January 2017 a request to UNESCO to list al-Khalil as a world heritage site. On 21st May 2017 the Ministry filed an additional emergency request on the same issue because of the escalated Israeli aggressions on the Old City of al-Khalil and the Ibrahimi Mosque.
With a history of more than 6000 years al-Khalil is one of the oldest Palestinian cities that is considered the fourth holiest site for Muslims.
Spokesman of the Jordanian government Mohammed al-Momani hailed the UNESCO resolution which points to the illegality of the Israeli practices in the city.
