The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, praised the decision of the cultural agency of the United Nations UNESCO to recognize the Old City of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque as endangered monuments of the cultural heritage of Palestine, the Embassy of Palestine in Montenegro announced today.
"During the 41st session of the World Cultural Heritage Committee, UNESCO adopted the resolution partially by secret ballot. Twelve countries voted for the resolution while three voted against. Six countries abstained," the embassy said in a statement.
"Thanks to Palestinian diplomacy and our friends in the world, UNESCO adopted two important resolutions; the first concerning Jerusalem and the second concerning Hebron - as two historical cities. The resolutions were adopted despite pressure on many countries from Israel and the United States of America" , said Abbas.
The embassy statement added that the Palestinians submitted a request to place this site on the UNESCO World Heritage List six years ago, but decided to expedite the application as the site was threatened by Israeli threats and violations of international laws.
The embassy also said that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, Riyad Al-Maliki, expressed his rebuke to the countries that did not support the resolution and accepted Israel's fabricated rhetoric.
"This is indirectly encouraging Israel to continue its violations of international law and ignore the dangers to Palestinian heritage and rights," he said.
Hebron is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and ancient Hebron is identified with Jebel er-Rumedeh which existed as far back as the Chalcolithic period (around 4000-3000 BC) until the Umayyad period (661-750 AD), said UNESCO- a.
The old city of Hebron is home to the Ibrahimi Mosque, revered by both Muslims and Jews as the burial place of the prophets Ibrahim, Isaac, Jacob and their wives.
"After the 1994 massacre in which 29 Palestinian worshipers were killed in the mosque by Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein, Israel divided the mosque in two, with the larger part converted into a synagogue. Rigorous control is exercised over Palestinians and many they are completely barred from access to large areas, including the important market and the main Shuhada Street. This has turned the mosque into a flashpoint of conflict and ongoing tensions have damaged its sanctity. Approximately 800 illegal Israeli settlers live under the protection of thousands of soldiers in the city center in Hebron. In the old 30.000 Palestinians live in the city," concludes the announcement of the Palestinian embassy in Montenegro.
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