Full text of May 2017 UNESCO resolution on ‘Occupied Palestine’ 2017
The cultural agency’s executive board slams Israel for ‘persistent excavations, tunneling, works and projects in East Jerusalem’
timesofisrael.com
Item 30: OCCUPIED PALESTINE
DRAFT DECISION
Submitted by: Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Sudan
The Executive Board,
1. Having examined document 201 EX/30,
2. Recalling
the provisions of the four Geneva Conventions (1949) and their
additional Protocols (1977), the 1907 Hague Regulations on Land Warfare,
the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the
Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and its additional Protocols, the
Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit
Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) and
the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage (1972), the inscription of the Old City of Jerusalem and its
Walls at the request of Jordan on the World Heritage List (1981) and on
the List of World Heritage in Danger (1982), and the recommendations,
resolutions and decisions of UNESCO on the protection of cultural
heritage, as well as resolutions and decisions of UNESCO relating to
Jerusalem, also recalling
previous UNESCO decisions relating to the reconstruction and
development of Gaza as well as UNESCO decisions on the two Palestinian
sites in Al-Khalil/Hebron and in Bethlehem,
3. Affirming
that nothing in the current decision, which aims, inter alia, at the
safeguarding of the cultural heritage of Palestine and the distinctive
character of East Jerusalem, shall in any way affect the relevant
Security Council and United Nations resolutions and decisions on the
legal status of Palestine and Jerusalem, including United Nations
Security Council resolution 2334 (2016),
30.I Jerusalem
4. Reaffirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions,
5. Reminding
that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by
Israel, the occupying Power, which have altered or purport to alter the
character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular
the “basic law” on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded
forthwith,
6. Further recalling
the 11 decisions of the Executive Board: 185 EX/Decision 14, 187
EX/Decision 11, 189 EX/Decision 8, 190 EX/Decision 13, 192 EX/Decision
11, 194 EX/Decision 5.D, 195 EX/Decision 9, 196 EX/Decision 26, 197
EX/Decision 32, 199 EX/Dec.19.1, 200 EX/Decision 25 and the seven World
Heritage Committee decisions: 34 COM/7A.20, 35 COM/7A.22, 36 COM/7A.23,
37 COM/7A.26, 38 COM/7A.4, 39 COM/7A.27, 40 COM/7A.13,
7. Regrets
the failure of the Israeli occupying authorities to cease the
persistent excavations, tunneling, works and projects in East Jerusalem,
particularly in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, which are illegal
under international law and reiterates its request
to Israel, the occupying Power, to prohibit all violations which are
not in conformity with the provisions of the relevant UNESCO
conventions, resolutions and decisions;
8. Also regrets
the Israeli refusal to implement the UNESCO request to the
Director-General to appoint a permanent representative to be stationed
in East Jerusalem to report on a regular basis about all aspects
covering the fields of competence of UNESCO in East Jerusalem, and reiterates its request to the Director-General to appoint, as soon as possible, the above-mentioned representative;
9. Stresses again the urgent need to implement the UNESCO reactive monitoring mission to the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, and invites
the Director-General and the World Heritage Centre, to exert all
possible efforts, in line with their mandates and in conformity with the
provisions of the relevant UNESCO conventions, decisions and
resolutions, to ensure the prompt implementation of the mission and, in
case of non-implementation, to propose possible effective measures to
ensure its implementation;
30.II Reconstruction and development of Gaza
10. Deplores
the military confrontations in and around the Gaza Strip and the
civilian casualties caused, as well as the continuous negative impact in
the fields of competence of UNESCO, the attacks on schools and other
educational and cultural facilities, including breaches of the
inviolability of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools;
11. Also deplores
the continuous Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip, which harmfully
affects the free and sustained movement of personnel, students and
humanitarian relief items and requests Israel to immediately ease this closure;
12. Thanks
the Director-General for initiatives that have already been implemented
in Gaza in the fields of education, culture and youth and for the
safety of media professionals, calls upon her to continue her active involvement in the reconstruction of Gaza’s damaged educational and cultural components and reiterates,
in this regard, its request to her to upgrade the UNESCO Antenna in
Gaza and to organize, as soon as possible, an information meeting on the
current situation in Gaza in the fields of competence of UNESCO and on
the outcome of the projects conducted by UNESCO;
30.III The two Palestinian sites of
Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Al- Khalil/Hebron and the
Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque/Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem
13. Reaffirms
that the two concerned sites located in Al-Khalil/Hebron and in
Bethlehem are an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
and shares the
conviction affirmed by the international community that the two sites
are of religious significance for Judaism, Christianity and Islam;
14. Deplores
the ongoing Israeli excavations, works, construction of private roads
for settlers and of a Wall inside the Old City of Al-Khalil/Hebron which
are illegal under international law and harmfully affect the
authenticity and integrity of the site, and the subsequent denial of
freedom of movement and freedom of access to places of worship and asks
Israel, the occupying Power, to end all violations which are not in
conformity with the provisions of relevant UNESCO conventions,
resolutions and decisions;
15. Regrets
the visual impact of the Wall on the site of Bilal Ibn Rabah
Mosque/Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem as well as the strict ban on access of
Palestinian Christian and Muslim worshippers to the site, and demands
that the Israeli authorities restore the original character of the
landscape around the site and to lift the ban on access to it;
30.IV
16. Decides to include these matters under an item entitled “Occupied Palestine” in the agenda at its 202nd session, and invites the Director-General to submit to it a progress report thereon.
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