During the ongoing Gaza conflict, the St. Hilarion Monastery/Tel Umm Amer heritage site in Palestine received a UNESCO tag and was simultaneously included in the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the ancient heritage site of St Hilarion Monastery/Tel Umm Amer in Palestine was given a UNESCO tag. Simultaneously, it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger through 'Emergency Nomination' during the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Delhi, hosted by India for the first time. The announcement was made during a plenary session of the session, highlighting the site's inscription on both the World Heritage List and the World Heritage in Danger List. This comes amid Israel's military offensive in Gaza following attacks by Hamas militants.

India had earlier called for de-escalation and peace talks. The recent recognition by UNESCO has raised hopes for the protection of such heritage sites. In a statement, UNESCO acknowledged the historic value and importance of the site and stressed the importance of protecting it from danger. UNESCO said that “this decision recognizes both the value of the site and the need to protect it from danger”.

“In light of the threat posed to this heritage site by the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, the World Heritage Committee used the emergency inscription procedure provided for in the World Heritage Convention,” it said.

Under the terms of the convention, “its 195 States Parties undertake to refrain from taking any intentional measures likely to cause direct or indirect damage to the site, which is now inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to assist in its conservation,” the world body said.

UNESCO said inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger automatically opens up “enhanced international technical and financial assistance mechanisms to guarantee the protection of the property and, if necessary, to help facilitate its rehabilitation”.

The Monastery of St. Hilarion/Tel Umm Amer is one of the oldest sites in the Middle East, founded by St. Hilarion and the initial home of the first monastic community in the Holy Land. Located at an important point where the main trade routes between Asia and Africa intersected, it flourished during the Byzantine period as a center of religious, cultural and economic interaction.

In a significant development, during its 18th session in December 2023, UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant 'temporary enhanced protection' to monasteries under the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol. The Palestinian delegation, led by Mounir Anastas, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for the double inscription, which aims to provide a protective cover and draw global attention to the heritage site in the conflict-stricken area.

“I am honored to have this inscription in the world's greatest democracy. Thank you, India. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all committee members for their valuable support for this inscription,” Anastas said in a statement at the post-inscription session.

He also thanked UNESCO's advisory body ICOMOS and the UNESCO Secretariat.

“This decision by the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO is a clear message of hope to our population in Gaza. This is the most important point of this inscription,” Anastas told PTI on the sidelines of the event.

(with PTI input)