Gaza's ancient Christian monasteries become 'danger list' at UNESCO session in India
NEW DELHI: An ancient Christian monastery in Gaza was recognized 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 in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza's Deir Al-Balah Governorate.
Submitted for inscription by the Permanent Delegation of Palestine to UNESCO in 2012, its nomination was processed on an emergency basis during the ongoing annual session of the World Heritage Committee.
Ambassador Mounir Anastas, Palestine's permanent delegate to the UN cultural body, welcomed the inscription as giving hope to the people of Gaza in the wake of the ongoing Israeli attacks, which since October have killed at least 40,000 people and destroyed most of the Palestinian enclave's infrastructure.
“It represents a message of hope to our people in Gaza who are fleeing bombings, who have no shelter, no water, no food. Yet they are committed to protecting their heritage because this heritage is part of our people's memory and history” , Anastas told Arab News on the sidelines of the UNESCO session.
The move was submitted by Belgium and sponsored by 18 other members of the World Heritage Committee, which resorted to the emergency procedure under the World Heritage Convention and agreed to inscribe the monastery complex of Saint Hilarion on both the World Heritage and World Heritage in Danger lists.
Under the terms of the convention, its 195 states – including Israel – are prevented from directly or indirectly harming the site and have pledged their cooperation to protect it.
“Once the site is inscribed on the list of World Heritage in Danger, it means that all states parties to the convention are 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, saying that the international community did not forget you.”
Saint Hilarion was a native of the Gaza region and is considered the father of Palestinian monasticism. His monastery was formerly an important station at the crossroads between Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia, and is associated with the phenomenon of monastic desert centers during the Byzantine period. It also testifies to Christianity in Gaza.
One of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, the complex consists of two churches, a burial ground, a baptistery, a public cemetery, an audience hall and dining rooms.
At least 207 archaeological sites and buildings of cultural and historical significance, out of a total of 320, have been reduced to rubble or severely damaged by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip over the past 10 months.
These include the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrios – the world's third oldest church – the 12th-century Great Omari Mosque and nearby Al-Qissariya's medieval Old Town Market, Gaza's old port dating back to 800 BC. and a Philistine cemetery dating from the Late Bronze Age, 1550 -1200 BC
The destruction of many of the archaeological sites was described in South Africa's case against Israel for the crime of genocide at the International Court of Justice. of justice. The case argues that the mass killings and destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza demonstrate the Israeli leadership's intent to destroy the Palestinian people and their cultural identity.
