The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to open a serious investigation into what it called "crimes of the occupation against Palestinian historical monuments and a serious violation of the principles of international law.”

The Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, November 11, 2018, that "opening of an investigation will put pressure on occupation authorities to return all artifacts it seized by force, and stop the distortion or Judaization of those archaeological sites”.

The Palestinian Ministry added that Israel’s colonial mentality controls Palestinian archaeological sites and tourism, and loots Palestinian artifacts, for the benefit of Israeli tourism industry.

The Ministry pointed out there is an increase of "settlement tourism" which is organised and funded by official Israeli institutions, in partnership with the settlement councils in the occupied West Bank, through a group of settlement associations operating in the field of tourism, who are officially licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Justice of the occupation.