A United Nations committee has voted to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank as a World Heritage Site in Palestine.
The decision, which has been criticized by Israel, was made at a meeting of the UN World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday under the auspices of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
The listing refers to the Tell es-Sultan archaeological site nearby, which contains prehistoric ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BC and is outside the ancient city itself.
“A permanent settlement had emerged here by the 9th to 8th millennium BC due to the fertile soil of the oasis and easy access to water,” UNESCO said on its website.
Tell es-Sultan, an oval-shaped mound, contains evidence of one of humanity’s first-known villages and an important Bronze-Age town dating back to 2,600 BC.
It is around 2km (1.2 miles) from the remains of the first city of Jericho, which contains ruins of importance to Jewish history, including a synagogue dating back to the first century BC.
Jericho is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on Earth, and is in a part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is administered by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
Israel criticizes decision
Israel’s foreign ministry released a statement Sunday denouncing the decision, calling it a “cynical ploy”.
“The foreign ministry considers today’s decision another sign of the cynical use the Palestinians are making of UNESCO and the organization’s politicization,” the statement said.
“Israel will act with its many friends in the organization to change the flawed decisions made.”
Israel quit the UN organization in 2019 over accusations that it fosters an anti-Israel bias, but did send a delegation to this year’s meeting in Saudi Arabia.
staff writer
Opinions expressed, reflect only the signed author’s views and not the wider views of SMA Institute, or Strategic Management Advisors. They belong to the content creators and not www.thequietrich.com Kevin j Palmer, the organization, its affiliates, or employees. Strategic Mgmt. Advisors/SMAI, author Kevin Palmer http://reawakeninganamericandream.com assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the content of this site. Information contained herein is provided on an “as is” basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy or usefulness. Kevin Palmer Arizona www.kevinpalmerscottsdale.com makes reasonable efforts to keep information correct, but makes no representations or warranties express or implied about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability with respect to its information. Any reliance you place on this material is strictly at your own risk and Palmer Private Equity or Peace through Prosperity http://KevinjPalmerAuthor.com writer-rebel-producer-poet will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate, or incomplete information on these websites. All rights reserved by Kevin J Palmer https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-j-palmer-3694bab1/