Ancient Christian Monastery in Gaza Placed on 'Dangerous Sites List' During UNESCO Session in India
NEW DELHI: An ancient Christian monastery in Gaza has been recognised as a World Heritage Site in Danger during a UNESCO session 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 the Deir Al-Balah governorate of Gaza.
Submitted for inscription by the Permanent Delegation of Palestine to UNESCO in 2012, its nomination was processed on an urgent basis during the ongoing annual session of the World Heritage Committee.
Ambassador Mounir Anastas, Permanent Delegate of Palestine to the UN cultural agency, welcomed the inscription as it represents an opportunity for hope for the people of Gaza following the continuous Israeli attacks that have killed at least 40,000 people and destroyed much of the infrastructure of the Palestinian enclave since October.
“It is a message of hope for our people in Gaza who are fleeing the bombings, who have no shelter, no water, no food. However, 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 session.
The initiative was presented by Belgium and sponsored by 18 other members of the World Heritage Committee, who resorted to the emergency procedure provided for by the World Heritage Convention and agreed to inscribe the monastic complex of Saint Hilarion on both the List of World Heritage and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Under the convention, the 195 signatory states, including Israel, may not directly or indirectly damage the site and undertake to provide their cooperation for its protection.
“Once the site is placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, it will mean that all states parties to the convention will be 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, that the international community has not forgotten you.”
Saint Hilarion was a native of the Gaza region and is considered the father of Palestinian monasticism. His monastery was an important station at the crossroads of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia, and is associated with the phenomenon of desert monastic centers during the Byzantine period. He also bears witness to Christianity in Gaza.
One of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, the complex consists of two churches, a burial place, a baptismal hall, a public cemetery, an audience hall and dining rooms.
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 in the past 10 months.
Among them are the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyry, the third oldest church in the world, the great 12th-century Omari Mosque and the nearby medieval market of the Old City of Al-Qissariya, the ancient seaport of Gaza dating back to 800 BC, and a Philistine cemetery dating back to the Late Bronze Period, 1550-1200 BC.
The destruction of many archaeological sites has been detailed in the case of South Africa against Israel for the crime of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The case argues that the mass killings and destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza demonstrate the intent of the Israeli leadership to destroy the Palestinian people and their cultural identity.
