Fayyad says listing Bethlehem church under 'Palestine' is a Palestinian victory and a triumph of justice; vote was criticized by some nations as mixing politics with culture.
By The Associated Press | Jun.29, 2012
UNESCO's World Heritage committee on Thursday approved a
Palestinian bid to place the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on its
list of sites of World Heritage in Danger - a move seen by some nations
as dangerously mixing politics and culture.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said that the decision is of
international importance for the future Palestinian state and that it
places it in line with the nations and cultures of the world. Fayyad has
also stated that he views the vote as a Palestinian victory and a
triumph of justice.
Palestinian spokesman Hanan Ashrawi said the vote was an affirmation of
Palestinian sovereignty over the site which marks the place where
Christians believe Jesus was born.
The 21-member committee, meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, voted 13 to
6 to include the church and pilgrimage route, located in the
Israeli-controlled West Bank, on its list of sites. There were two
abstentions.
The United States and Israel, neither of which is on the committee,
were among nations opposed to the Palestinian proposal of an emergency
candidacy for the iconic Christian site, shortcutting what is usually an
18-month-long process to apply for World Heritage recognition.
The Prime Minister's Office criticized UNESCO's decision to recognize the Church of Nativity as a Palestinian heritage site.
"This is proof that UNESCO is acting out of political considerations
and not cultural ones," a statement released by the PMO read. "The world
must remember that the Church of Nativity, which is sacred to
Christians, was desecrated in the past by Palestinian terrorists."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that Israel did not oppose
listing the Church of Nativity as a World Heritage site, but said that
at some point, the move turned completely into a political step against
Israel.
The church - which drew some 2 million visitors last year and parts of
which are 1,500 years old - stands above the grotto that Christians
believe was the birthplace of Jesus. The Palestinians' application asks
for recognition as a site of "outstanding universal value" urgently in
need of attention.
The application cited lack of regular restoration of the church due to
the political situation since 1967 when Israel occupied the territories,
and difficulties procuring equipment because of lack of free movement
imposed by Israeli forces.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
voted to admit Palestine as a full member in October. The emergency
candidacy for the church clearly showed the Palestinian's intention of
making the most of their position, after a failure to join the main UN
body because Palestine is not a recognized state.
The Palestinians bid to place the Church on the list showed that they
plan to put forward other sites for the prestigious World Heritage
recognition, eventually linking various landmarks to the life of Jesus.
"The message to Israel today is that unilateral actions will not work
and that Israel cannot continue challenging the world despite its
powerful allies," Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi said.
Many American Jewish leaders criticized the decision on Friday.
Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, said
that UNESCO "bowed to a politicized Palestinian bid" and therefore the
U.S. should re-evaluate the value of remaining a member of UNESCO.
American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris also
regretted the decision, saying that "if this important Christian
religious site is threatened, PA leadership must take responsibility.”
U.S. Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) said that the vote was not about the
Church of Nativity, but rather "just another attempt by the Palestinians
to make an end run around direct peace negotiations with Israel."
The U.S. ambassador to UNESCO, David Killion, said the United States is
"profoundly disappointed" by the World Heritage committee's decision.
"This body should not be politicized," he said.
His statement noted the candidacy was opposed by a UNESCO experts committee, whose conclusions are almost always heeded.
The three churches acting as custodians of the site had also been opposed.
"The site clearly has tremendous religious and historical
significance," Killion's statement said. "However, the emergency
procedure used in this instance is reserved only for extreme cases."
The drive to get the Nativity church quickly recognized as a World
Heritage site is part of the Palestinians' bid to win international
recognition since attempts to establish a Palestinian state through
negotiations with Israel are frozen. The Church of the Nativity drew
some 2 million visitors last year. It is built above the grotto widely
believed by Christians to be the site where Jesus was born.
While the church needs restoration, including repair of a leaky roof,
it was not seen by the experts committee as being in imminent threat of
destruction - the criteria usually reserved for the emergency procedure.
Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid, and Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report
