{"id":35196,"date":"2026-07-26T05:57:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T05:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=35196"},"modified":"2026-07-26T05:57:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T05:57:16","slug":"unesco-places-occupied-west-bank-lebanon-sites-on-endangered-heritage-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=35196","title":{"rendered":"UNESCO places occupied West Bank, Lebanon sites on endangered heritage list"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Sebastia in the occupied West Bank and five Lebanese castles get emergency listing despite Israeli objections.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25324611093500-1763707940.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Sebastia in the occupied West Bank\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Palestinian flag flies over the Roman ruins of Sebastia in the occupied West Bank [File: Nasser Nasser\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UNESCO has added sites in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon to the list of endangered World Heritage sites, despite Israeli objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A committee voted on Friday at a UNESCO meeting in Busan, South Korea, placing six locations on both the main World Heritage list and the endangered list at once, under an emergency procedure, citing the toll of the ongoing conflicts in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The locations include a biblical archaeological site in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/tag\/occupied-west-bank\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Bank<\/a>&nbsp;and five castles in southern&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/where\/lebanon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lebanon<\/a>, one of which was recently seized by Israeli troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Member states of the UN\u2019s cultural agency approved the listings despite a campaign by Israel\u2019s foreign ministry to have them rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/790ac603-7066-4535-a599-8f611e372851\/eae91682-4bd5-4b54-8b78-47ba25d307f4\/1920x1080\/match\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"playlist-container\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Now Playing02:54<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/790ac603-7066-4535-a599-8f611e372851\/0bbf60de-8a6d-4e8a-a75c-a7ff94419c16\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/790ac603-7066-4535-a599-8f611e372851\/0bbf60de-8a6d-4e8a-a75c-a7ff94419c16\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" 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src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/645e5260-8388-4d75-9ede-ee7889e67372\/053c483c-3a1b-454b-8719-02deadd84cd4\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Tehran summons Ukrainian diplomat after Kyiv bombs an Iranian ship\">Tehran summons Ukrainian diplomat after Kyiv bombs an Iranian ship<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>01:23<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/3372368e-3205-4be0-a662-1e87fc77cb44\/1ca17148-c83f-434c-830b-49b52421f7e3\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/3372368e-3205-4be0-a662-1e87fc77cb44\/1ca17148-c83f-434c-830b-49b52421f7e3\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/3372368e-3205-4be0-a662-1e87fc77cb44\/1ca17148-c83f-434c-830b-49b52421f7e3\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"French wildfires trigger mass evacuations around Bordeaux\">French wildfires trigger mass evacuations around Bordeaux<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>01:45<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/a4207988-f81e-4a94-9001-f0f8c9f6109d\/e1709c64-2cd8-497d-89bf-0fe91cd753ef\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/a4207988-f81e-4a94-9001-f0f8c9f6109d\/e1709c64-2cd8-497d-89bf-0fe91cd753ef\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/a4207988-f81e-4a94-9001-f0f8c9f6109d\/e1709c64-2cd8-497d-89bf-0fe91cd753ef\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Flavio Bolsonaro launches Brazil presidential bid with Milei support\">Flavio Bolsonaro launches Brazil presidential bid with Milei support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>02:22<img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/dd168295-c96d-4816-8d37-4df8eb27774f\/86975fdf-eb1a-42d9-a48a-967abdf4b2bf\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=270%2C152&amp;quality=80 270w, https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/dd168295-c96d-4816-8d37-4df8eb27774f\/86975fdf-eb1a-42d9-a48a-967abdf4b2bf\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80 730w\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/dd168295-c96d-4816-8d37-4df8eb27774f\/86975fdf-eb1a-42d9-a48a-967abdf4b2bf\/426x240\/match\/image.jpg?resize=730%2C410&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Flavio Bolsonaro launches Brazil presidential campaign as Lula rivalry grows\">Flavio Bolsonaro launches Brazil presidential campaign as Lula rivalry grows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The West Bank site,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JVEPNxzekZg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sebastia<\/a>, sits on a hilltop near Nablus and is identified by historians as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its ruins span the Iron Age through Roman, Byzantine and Islamic rule, and Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist is buried there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Palestinian officials first sought the listing in 2012, arguing the site needed protection as Israeli authorities pushed ahead with plans to expropriate roughly 200 hectares (500 acres) of surrounding land for a national park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That project would add a fence, entry fees and a road restricted to use by Israelis, bypassing the Palestinian tourism trade built around the ruins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Lebanon, five fortresses in the Mount Amel region were listed, among them Beaufort Castle, a medieval stronghold captured by Israeli forces in May&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/tag\/israel-lebanon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">during their war<\/a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hezbollah<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lebanon\u2019s culture ministry said Israeli bombardment had already destroyed one of the five, Shamaa Castle, and threatened Beaufort itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israel disputes this, alleging that Hezbollah turned Beaufort into a military position with tunnels beneath it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Lebanese delegate rejected that claim, insisting the castles have served only tourism since Israeli troops withdrew from the south in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cf-images.eu-west-1.prod.boltdns.net\/v1\/static\/665003303001\/1d93c4c8-796e-4ece-8bd8-dfed8e77865e\/70885ffe-4415-43cb-b186-15099062ebec\/1920x1080\/match\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Palestinians seek UNESCO World Heritage status for Sebastia amid Israeli expansion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispute reflects a wider rift between Israel and the United Nations agency, which Israel left in 2019, accusing it of bias and now attends only as an observer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Israel\u2019s foreign minister said the West Bank listing sought to erase \u201cthe Jewish connection to this land\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Palestinian delegate credited Sebastia\u2019s residents with protecting the site \u201cdespite occupation, restrictions,\u201d and repeated attempts to sever their ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, the ancient Lebanese city of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/10\/satellite-images-show-israels-destruction-of-historical-city-of-tyre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tyre<\/a>&nbsp;was also added to the endangered list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Al Jazeera investigation comparing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/10\/satellite-images-show-israels-destruction-of-historical-city-of-tyre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">satellite images from January to June this year<\/a>&nbsp;found a deliberate pattern of land-clearing and demolition across the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reference Link:- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/24\/unesco-places-occupied-west-bank-lebanon-sites-on-endangered-heritage-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/24\/unesco-places-occupied-west-bank-lebanon-sites-on-endangered-heritage-list<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sebastia in the occupied West Bank and five Lebanese castles get emergency listing despite Israeli objections. UNESCO has added sites in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon to the list of endangered World Heritage sites, despite Israeli objections. A committee voted on Friday at a UNESCO meeting in Busan, South Korea, placing six locations on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[7729,32037,1737,30312,1510,1254,24303,5392,76,1360,23878,32469,1515],"class_list":["post-35196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-cultural-heritage-2","tag-destruction-2","tag-gaza-2","tag-invassion","tag-israel-2","tag-israeli-agression","tag-israeli-atrocities-2","tag-israeli-brutalities-2","tag-lebanon","tag-middle-east-5","tag-unesco-2","tag-unesco-heritage-endangered","tag-west-bank-2","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35197,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35196\/revisions\/35197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}