Jordan welcomes UNESCO’s resolution on Jerusalem and its walls

AMMAN —The Foreign Ministry has welcomed a new resolution adopted unanimously by the Executive Board of UNESCO concerning Jerusalem and its walls, that calls on Israel to halt its Judaization and settlement activities in the Old City and surrounding areas. 

On Wednesday, during its 221st session held in Paris, UNESCO’s Executive Board unanimously adopted two resolutions concerning Palestine: “Occupied Palestine” and “Cultural and Educational Institutions.”

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said that the UNESCO’s resolution has reaffirmed international community’s position on the legal status of Jerusalem and calls on Israel, the occupying power, to halt all illegal and unilateral measures in the Old City and its surroundings. 

The ministry’s spokesperson, Sufian Qudah, said the Israeli actions threaten the city's cultural heritage and undermine its historical and cultural value.

He said that the resolution reaffirms Jordan’s long-standing position regarding the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Islamic and Christian holy sites, and also the previous decisions issued by UNESCO’s Executive Board and the World Heritage Committee concerning the city’s status and heritage.

The resolutions call for halting excavation projects and construction activities in occupied Jerusalem, including its Old City and surrounding areas, as well as at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.

The resolutions reaffirm that World Heritage Sites, including occupied Jerusalem and its walls, Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Old City of Hebron—home to the Ibrahimi Mosque— are an integral part of Palestine’s cultural heritage, that require special protection from destruction, alterations, or military deployment.