{"id":2508,"date":"2026-07-26T12:59:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T12:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/26\/unesco-adds-west-bank-site-lebanese-castles-to-world-heritage-list-despite-israeli-opposition\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T12:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T12:59:49","slug":"unesco-adds-west-bank-site-lebanese-castles-to-world-heritage-list-despite-israeli-opposition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=2508","title":{"rendered":"UNESCO adds West Bank site, Lebanese castles to World Heritage List despite Israeli opposition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--banner-top o-ad-container--with-shimmer o-ad-container--with-background\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-type=\"sponsoring\" data-tms-ad-status=\"disabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-sponsoring__wrapper\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content t-content--article\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__above-sidebar\">\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">UNESCO adds West Bank site, Lebanese castles to World Heritage List despite Israeli opposition<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                        UNESCO added a major archaeological site in the West Bank and a group of historic castles in southern Lebanon to its World Heritage List, defying Israeli objections and reigniting a long-running dispute over the intersection of cultural heritage and politics in the region.                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-07-25T14:29:30+00:00\">25\/07\/2026 &#8211; 16:29<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-reading-time\">\n    <span class=\"a-reading-time__icon\" title=\"Reading time\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/span><br \/>\n    3 min    <span class=\"u-sr-only\">Reading time<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author\">\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/author\/france-24\/\" title=\"FRANCE 24\" class=\"m-author__name__title\"><br \/>\n                                FRANCE 24<br \/>\n                            <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__main-media\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a615f28a-8832-11f1-9803-005056bfb2b6\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP26205335159820.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a615f28a-8832-11f1-9803-005056bfb2b6\/w:388\/p:16x9\/AP26205335159820.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a615f28a-8832-11f1-9803-005056bfb2b6\/w:720\/p:16x9\/AP26205335159820.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/a615f28a-8832-11f1-9803-005056bfb2b6\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/AP26205335159820.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"A Palestinian visitor takes a photo at the Roman historical site in the West Bank town of Sebastia on November 20, 2025\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                A Palestinian visitor takes a photo at the Roman historical site in the West Bank town of Sebastia on November 20, 2025.        \u00a9 Nasser Nasser, AP    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>A United Nations committee on Friday inscribed a major archaeological site in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/west-bank\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">West Bank<\/a> and a group of castles in southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Lebanon<\/a> on the World Heritage List, despite objections from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Israel<\/a>, which had urged the committee to reject the bids.<\/p>\n<p>The decision at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/united-nations\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">UN<\/a> Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in South Korea came days after Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry urged the committee to reject efforts to designate the small West Bank town of Sebastia and the Lebanese castles, calling the nominations a \u201cweaponisation of cultural heritage\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/culture\/20260722-unesco-places-ancient-lebanese-city-of-tyre-on-heritage-danger-list\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">UNESCO places ancient Lebanese city of Tyre on heritage danger list<\/a><\/p>\n<p>At their meeting in Busan, members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/unesco\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">UNESCO<\/a> committee decided to place Sebastia and five castles in Lebanon\u2019s Mount Amel area on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-video\">\n<div class=\"m-em-video__title\"> UNESCO adds Sebastia site to World Heritage List despite Israeli objections<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-video-player o-video-player--16x9\" data-media-video-wbmz571057-f24-en-20260725 data-show-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ571057-F24-EN-20260725\" data-wrapper-video-player data-youtube-script>\n<div class=\"o-em-consent \">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-consent__content__text\">To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n<p>        <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"accept\"><br \/>\n            Accept<\/p>\n<p>        <\/button><br \/>\n        <button class=\"a-link\" data-action=\"manage\">Manage my choices                <\/p>\n<p><\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock\" data-adblock-content>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-adblock__content__text\">One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"reload\">Try again<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8d2a33dc-87fe-11f1-96a0-005056a90284\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260725-092203-092409-CS.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8d2a33dc-87fe-11f1-96a0-005056a90284\/w:388\/p:16x9\/EN-20260725-092203-092409-CS.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8d2a33dc-87fe-11f1-96a0-005056a90284\/w:720\/p:16x9\/EN-20260725-092203-092409-CS.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/8d2a33dc-87fe-11f1-96a0-005056a90284\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/EN-20260725-092203-092409-CS.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 639px) calc(100vw - 32px), (max-width: 1076px) calc(100vw - 44px), 850px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\" UNESCO adds Sebastia site to World Heritage List despite Israeli objections\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n    Cover image:                    \u00a9 France 24    <\/figcaption><div class=\"m-item-image__overlay-wrapper\">\n                <button class=\"m-main-media-btn\" aria-label=\" UNESCO adds Sebastia site to World Heritage List despite Israeli objections: Play the video\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"m-main-media-btn__picto\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-circle-loader\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><br \/>\n<time class=\"a-media-time\">02:05<\/time>                <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ571057-F24-EN-20260725\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sebastia, a hilltop town about 10 kilometres (6 miles) northwest of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The area\u2019s archaeological remains span the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist was buried there, according to a UNESCO website.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sebastia\u2019s nomination, first submitted by the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO in 2012, argued that World Heritage status was needed to help preserve the site, saying it remains largely undeveloped under Israeli control and requires additional conservation despite attracting tourists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The designation comes as Israel, which does not recognise a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate large swaths of land around the site, even as it faces pressure to crack down on violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--original m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/21cab352-8833-11f1-ab85-005056bfb2b6\/w:980\/000-C2XY7CR.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/21cab352-8833-11f1-ab85-005056bfb2b6\/w:246\/000-C2XY7CR.jpg 246w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/21cab352-8833-11f1-ab85-005056bfb2b6\/w:388\/000-C2XY7CR.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/21cab352-8833-11f1-ab85-005056bfb2b6\/w:720\/000-C2XY7CR.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/21cab352-8833-11f1-ab85-005056bfb2b6\/w:980\/000-C2XY7CR.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 32px), (min-width: 1024px) 850px\" alt=\"An Israeli flag flies over the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026\" style=\"max-height:567px\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                An Israeli flag flies over the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026.        \u00a9 AFP    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The five castles in the Mount Amel region are recognised for their layered architectural <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/heritage\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">heritage<\/a>, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences, reflecting the evolution of fortified architecture over nearly nine centuries, according to UNESCO. The designated sites include the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, which Israeli forces seized in May during their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.<\/p>\n<p>Adel Naim Daoud Atieh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the World Heritage designation rewards the perseverance of Sebastia\u2019s residents, \u201cwho have protected this extraordinary site through generations, despite occupation, restrictions, and repeated attempts to separate them from their own heritage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Israel withdrew from UNESCO in 2019, accusing the organisation of being biased against it and of downplaying its historical ties to the Holy Land. A member of the Israeli delegation, which is attending the Busan meetings as observers, said it was a \u201cshame politicisation has ruined UNESCO and led to mockery of history\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In Tuesday\u2019s statement, Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a \u201chostile, one-sided campaign\u201d at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency, calling the effort a political attempt to \u201cerase the site\u2019s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The ministry also objected to listing Beaufort Castle as a World Heritage Site as part of the nomination covering the five castles in the Mount Amel area.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tv-shows\/the-observers\/20260529-war-in-lebanon-cultural-heritage-at-risk\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">War in Lebanon: Cultural heritage at risk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The ministry said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hezbollah<\/a>, an Iran-backed militant group, has turned the castle into a military stronghold by building tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the area, and accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the Israeli claims, UNESCO said in a statement to The Associated Press that all nominations are evaluated under the same criteria, procedures and technical requirements, and that it does not take positions on political disputes. The Lebanese Embassy in South Korea declined to comment on Israel\u2019s statement, but a Lebanese delegate at Friday\u2019s meeting said the castles had been used \u201conly for cultural and tourism purposes\u201d since Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and accused Israeli media of portraying tourist facilities as military tunnels.<\/p>\n<p>The UNESCO committee on Wednesday placed another Lebanese site, Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in the southern part of the country, on the list of world heritage sites in danger. Tyre, Lebanon\u2019s fourth-largest city, came under intense Israeli airstrikes in early June during Israel\u2019s war with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hezbollah<\/a>, before a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/ceasefire\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">ceasefire<\/a> took effect later that month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>(FRANCE with AP)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"o-sidebar__aside\">\n<div data-tms-ad-status=\"idle\" data-tms-ad-container class=\"o-ad-container o-ad-container--box o-ad-container--with-shimmer\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__content o-ad-container__content--report-enabled\">\n<div class=\"o-ad-container__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled\">\n                    <span class=\"o-ad-container__label__text\">Advertising<\/span><br \/>\n                                            <button title=\"Report this ad\" class=\"o-ad-container__content__report-link\" data-tms-ad-report><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__tags t-content__below-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"m-section-title m-section-title--small\">Keywords for this article<\/div>\n<ul class=\"m-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/west-bank\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"West Bank\">    West Bank<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Lebanon\">    Lebanon<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/united-nations\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"UN\">    UN<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"Israel\">    Israel<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/unesco\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"UNESCO\">    UNESCO<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li class=\"m-tags-list__tag\">\n                <a href=\"\/en\/tag\/heritage\/\" class=\"a-hot-tag\" title=\"heritage\">    heritage<\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertising UNESCO adds West Bank site, Lebanese castles to World Heritage List despite Israeli opposition&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}