Jordan welcomes UNESCO resolutions protecting Palestinian cultural heritage

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed a unanimous resolution adopted by the UNESCO’s Executive Board during its 221st session in Paris, addressing the deteriorating cultural and humanitarian conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The resolutions, titled “Occupied Palestine” and “Cultural and Educational Institutions,” call for an immediate halt to "Israel’s" ongoing violations in Jerusalem, Hebron, and the Gaza Strip—actions that UNESCO states are in defiance of international and humanitarian law.

In an official statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sufyan Qudah said the resolution reiterates the call on the Israeli Occupation, as the occupying power, to halt all illegal and unilateral measures in the Old City and its surroundings. Such actions, he noted, endanger the city's unique cultural and historical heritage and undermine its outstanding universal value.

Central to the resolutions is the demand to stop all excavation and construction activities in occupied East Jerusalem, particularly within the Old City and its surroundings, as well as at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The resolutions also reject "Israeli" settlement expansion, the construction of the Annexation Wall, and the creation of settler-only roads, warning that such measures are aimed at reshaping the identity and demographics of the occupied areas.

Qudah emphasized that the decision is consistent with Jordan’s steadfast position on Jerusalem, particularly regarding the preservation of its Islamic and Christian holy sites. He added that the resolution also reaffirms the content of previous decisions issued by UNESCO’s Executive Board and the World Heritage Committee related to the city.

Jordan, which holds custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, has consistently advocated for international recognition and protection of the city's heritage and identity in the face of ongoing violations.

In response, the "Israeli" government denounced the resolutions, labeling them “biased and politically motivated.” Israeli Occupation officials claimed the resolutions “disregard the historical and cultural connections of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and other heritage sites,” and accused UNESCO of pushing “a one-sided narrative that undermines Israel’s sovereignty.” They also objected to language that they say “delegitimizes Israel’s presence in Jerusalem and Hebron.”