Share
AMMAN — Jordan on Wednesday welcomed the unanimous adoption of a UNESCO World Heritage Committee resolution to maintain the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls on the List of World Heritage in Danger, citing continued threats to the city’s cultural heritage and historic character.
The decision was adopted during the committee’s 48th session in Busan, Republic of Korea, following concerns over measures that Jordan says threaten the cultural heritage of the Old City and seek to alter its historic and legal status quo.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fouad Majali said in a statement that the resolution reaffirmed the illegality and invalidity of Israeli violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites, as well as the rights of worshippers to freedom of worship and unrestricted access to holy places, according to a ministry statement.
Majali said that the decision addressed Israeli interference in the mandate of the Jerusalem Awqaf and Al Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places.
He added that the resolution also raised concerns over projects and excavations that threaten the cultural heritage and identity of the Old City.
The UNESCO document stressed the importance of preserving the historic and legal status quo of Jerusalem and its sanctuaries, while safeguarding the city’s heritage. It also recalled previous UNESCO decisions expressing regret over Israel’s failure, as the occupying power, to halt excavations, tunnelling and other works in East Jerusalem.
The resolution reiterated UNESCO’s rejection of Israel’s refusal to implement the organisation’s request to appoint a permanent representative in East Jerusalem to report regularly on issues within UNESCO’s areas of competence. It also stressed the urgent need to dispatch a UNESCO reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls.
Majali said that all Israeli measures aimed at changing the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of occupied Jerusalem or altering its historic and legal status quo were “null and void”.
He called on Israel to halt violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites, saying such actions violate international law and undermine efforts towards achieving a two-state solution and a just, comprehensive peace in the region.
The spokesperson said the adoption of the resolution followed intensive Jordanian diplomatic efforts, in coordination with the State of Palestine and Arab and Islamic groups at UNESCO, reflecting the Kingdom’s continued commitment to protecting the Old City of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
