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| Nativity Church, Bethlehem. Photo from Palestine Image Bank. |
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Inscribing Bethlehem on the World Heritage ListBy Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister
The thirty-sixth session of the World Heritage Convention, which was held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, represented an important milestone in building the State of Palestine. On Friday, June 29, 2012, Bethlehem, Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route was the first site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List under Palestine.* It is a significant moment in our struggle to achieve freedom and independence; it represents a momentous step towards our right of self-determination.
The inscription of Bethlehem not only reflects the outstanding universal value of the place where Jesus Christ was born, the church that was built by Empress Helena in 339, and the Pilgrimage Route, but it also gives hope and confidence to our people for the inevitable victory of our just cause. It represents the growing international realisation of the urgency to retain our national cultural rights on our land.
The decision to include Bethlehem as an endangered site by UNESCO is the first outcome of the recognition of Palestine as a full member-state by UNESCO last October and our endorsement of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is also the first step towards inscribing on the list other natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value in Palestine. The recognition of Bethlehem as a world heritage site is the most remarkable event on the path of Palestinian state building since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, and it is the most important since the inception of the Palestinian Authority.
Thirteen out of twenty-one members of the World Heritage Committee voted in favour of the decision to recognise the endangered status of Bethlehem during their meeting in Saint Petersburg; six members voted against and two abstained. It is time for UN agencies to uphold their political, legal, cultural, and ethical responsibilities, put an end to what the Palestinian people are suffering, and safeguard Palestine’s cultural and natural heritage from the aggression of Israeli occupation.
Throughout the millennia, Palestine has been a cradle for civilisations and a cultural bridge between East and West; it has played an important role in the evolution of human history. Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and all Palestinian lands are symbols of coexistence and tolerance. This is a call for the international community to fulfil its responsibility to help us end the Israeli Occupation of our land that was taken in 1967, and allow us to determine our future, live freely and in dignity in an independent state, retain our cultural status, and contribute to stability and international peace.
We extend our appreciation to the World Heritage Committee for its decision. In addition, the inscription of Bethlehem would not have been possible without the continuous efforts, follow-up, and support of all the ministries and institutions that worked tirelessly on this file, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Mission of Palestine to UNESCO, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Ministry of Culture, the Negotiations Affairs Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, the Bethlehem Municipality, and the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation in Bethlehem; and also to the experts, volunteers, and friends who helped make this a success. To all of you, we extend our gratitude.
* The Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980 (and on the List of Sites in Danger in 1981), through a request submitted by the Kingdom of Jordan; and the site is inscribed under the Old City of Jerusalem.
See PDF www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i172/pdfs/article/inscribingbethlehem.pdf
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| Diyar Dancing Theater Group celebrating Bethlehem’s inscription on the list of World Heritage Sites. Photos by Elias Halabi. |
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