Tel al-Sultan, which is older than the pyramids of Egypt, has been included in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational Science and Technology Organization - UNESCO. The reaction of Israel was immediate, which condemned this decision and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered it as "another sign that the Palestinians are cynically using UNESCO and politicizing the organization". The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has said that the decision is "of great importance and proof of the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has included the historic site of Tel al-Sultan - near the Palestinian city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank - on the World Heritage List. This has fueled Israel's criticism. Tel al-Sultan, which is older than Egypt's pyramids, is an oval hill in the Jordan Valley and has prehistoric evidence of human activity, AFP reports.
The decision of the United Nations cultural organization, which was announced on the X platform, formerly Twitter, was taken at the 45th meeting of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh.
"The nominated site is the prehistoric archaeological site of Tel al-Sultani, which is located outside the ancient site of Jericho," said UNESCO's assistant director-general, Ernesto Ottone.
Three years of candidacy
"The locality was registered after a three-year candidacy, during which no party made any remarks," said a diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There are no Jewish or Christian remains in that place (Tel al-Sultan). It is a locality with prehistoric traces".
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Israel condemned this decision and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered it "another sign that the Palestinians are cynically using UNESCO and politicizing the organization".
"Israel will work with its many friends in the organization to change the wrong decisions", it was emphasized in the reaction of the Ministry.
Four years ago, Israel withdrew from the United Nations over accusations that it fosters anti-Israel bias, but sent a delegation to this year's meeting in Saudi Arabia. The Palestinian Authority, recognized by the United Nations as a non-member observer state, welcomed Tel al-Sultan's inclusion on the World Heritage List.
The fourth protected site in Palestine
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the decision is "of great importance and proof of the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people". He promised that "they will continue to protect this unique country for all humanity", he was quoted as saying.
"The UNESCO decision shows that this site is an integral part of the diverse Palestinian heritage of extraordinary value to humanity," said Rula Maayah, the Palestinian Minister of Tourism, who was present at the meeting in Riyadh. "Given the importance of Tel al-Sultan as the oldest fortified city in the world, it deserves to be a world heritage site," she added.
"Traces of permanent settlement in this locality were found between 9 and 8 years before our era, due to the oasis's fertile soil and easy access to water," UNESCO wrote on its website. According to the reasoning, the skulls and statues found at the site testify to the practices of the Neolithic population, while the archaeological material of the Early Bronze Age shows signs of urban planning.
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"Remains from the Middle Bronze Age reveal the presence of a large Canaanite city-state with an organized population," UNESCO wrote.
Archaeological excavations have been carried out in this locality for more than a century and it is considered the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on the planet, the official Palestinian news agency "Wafa" wrote.
Tel al-Sultan is the fourth Palestinian site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Political Archeology between Israel and Palestine
Israel occupied the West Bank with three million Palestinians in 1967, when it occupied the densely populated coastal enclave of Gaza from which it withdrew in 2005. The Palestinians aim for both territories for their own state, along with East Jerusalem as capital city.
Jericho is one of the oldest inhabited cities on the planet and the main tourist destination in the Palestinian territories. UNESCO also called for the protection of other archaeological sites in Jericho.
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Archeology is a highly political topic in Israel and Palestine, and the discoveries have been used to justify territorial claims, AFP reports.
