An ancient Christian monastery in Gaza was given a “danger list” at a UNESCO meeting in India.
NEW DELHI: An ancient Christian monastery in Gaza was recognized as a World Heritage Site in Danger at a UNESCO meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
Founded around 340 by Saint Hilarion, the monastery is part of Tell Umm Amer, an archaeological site located in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Deir Al-Balah Governorate, Gaza.
In 2012, the Permanent Delegation of Palestine to UNESCO was submitted for inscription and its nomination was processed on an emergency basis during the ongoing annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee.
Ambassador Mounir Anastas, the Palestinian permanent delegate to the UN cultural agency, hailed the sign as hope for Gazans in the wake of ongoing Israeli attacks that have killed at least 40,000 people and destroyed much of the Palestinian enclave's infrastructure since October. .
“It is a message of hope for our people in Gaza who are fleeing the bombardment, they have no shelter, no water, no food. Nevertheless, they are committed to protecting their heritage because this heritage is part of the memory and history of our people,” Anastas told Arab News on the sidelines of the UNESCO meeting.
The move was brought forward by Belgium and supported by 18 other members of the World Heritage Committee, who resorted to the emergency procedure set out in the World Heritage Convention and agreed to inscribe the Saint Hilarion monastery complex on both the World Heritage and World Heritage in Danger lists. lists.
Under the terms of the convention, its 195 contracting states – including Israel – are prohibited from directly or indirectly harming the site and pledge to cooperate in its protection.
“Once a site is inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, it means that all states that are parties to the convention are responsible for protecting and promoting the site,” Mounir said.
“And this is also another strong message from the international community to our people in Gaza, saying that the international community has not forgotten you.”
Saint Hilarion came from the Gaza area and is considered the father of Palestinian monasticism. His monastery used to be an important station at the crossroads between Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and is associated with the phenomenon of monastic desert centers during the Byzantine period. He also bears witness to Christianity in Gaza.
One of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, it consists of two churches, a burial ground, a baptistery, a public cemetery, an audience hall and refectories.
At least 207 archaeological sites and buildings of cultural and historical importance out of a total of 320 have been reduced to rubble or severely damaged by Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip over the past 10 months.
These include the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyry – the third oldest church in the world – the 12th century Great Mosque of Omari and the nearby medieval market of Al-Qissariya, the ancient port of Gaza from 800 BC and a Philistine cemetery from the Late Bronze Age, 1550 -1200 BC
The destruction of many archaeological sites was detailed in the case of South Africa against Israel for the crime of genocide at the International Court of Justice. justice. The case argues that the mass killings and destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza demonstrate the Israeli leadership's intent to destroy the Palestinian people and their cultural identity.
