The ancient Christian monastery of Gaza was placed on the “danger list” at the UNESCO meeting in India
New Delhi: An ancient Christian monastery in Gaza was recognized as World Heritage in Danger at a UNESCO meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
Founded around 340 by St. Hilarion, the monastery is part of Tell Umm Amer, an archaeological site located in the Nasirat refugee camp in Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza.
Submitted by the Permanent Mission of Palestine to UNESCO in 2012, its nomination was urgently reviewed during the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee.
Ambassador Munir Anastas, Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations Cultural Agency, welcomed the inscription as a hope for the people of Gaza following the continuous Israeli attacks that have killed at least 40,000 people and destroyed most of the Palestinian infrastructure since October. did .
This is a message of hope for our people in Gaza who are fleeing the bombardment, who have no shelter, no water and no food. Anastas told Arab News on the sidelines of the UNESCO meeting.
This action was proposed by Belgium and supported by 18 other members of the World Heritage Committee, who resorted to the emergency procedure provided for in the World Heritage Convention and agreed to inscribe the monastery complex of St. Hilarion on the World Heritage List and World Heritage in Danger. Lists
According to the provisions of the convention, its 195 member states – including Israel – are prohibited from directly or indirectly harming the site and are committed to providing cooperation for its protection.
“When this place is inscribed on the World Heritage in Danger list, it means that all member states of the convention are responsible for protecting and promoting the place,” Munir said.
And this is another strong message from the international community to our people in Gaza, which says that the international community has not forgotten you.
St. Hilarion was a native of the Gaza region and is considered the father of Palestinian monasticism. In the past, his monastery was an important station at the crossroads of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and is associated with the phenomenon of monastic desert centers in the Byzantine period. It is also a testimony to Christianity in Gaza.
This complex, which is one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, consists of two churches, a burial place, a baptismal hall, a public cemetery, an audience hall and dining rooms.
At least 207 ancient sites and buildings of cultural and historical importance, out of a total of 320, have been destroyed or severely damaged by Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the past 10 months.
These include the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrios – the third oldest church in the world – the 12th-century Great Mosque of Omri and the market of the old medieval city of Al-Qaysariyya, the ancient seaport of Gaza dating back to 800 BC and a Palestinian cemetery dating to the Late Bronze Age, 1550. -1200 BC
The destruction of many ancient sites was detailed in South Africa's case against Israel for the crime of genocide before the International Court of Justice. Justice of 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.
