Ref: 58/2023

Date: 18 May 2023

Time: 10:14 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) welcomes the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s unanimously adopting a resolution on Wednesday during the 216^th sessionof itsExecutive Board that has considered all Israeli measures seeking to change the historical character and legal status of Jerusalem’s Old City and its walls null and void.

The resolution and its annexes call on Israel to cease its unilateral violations and unlawful action against Blessed al-Haram al-Sharif and places of worship in Jerusalem’s Old City and walls. The resolution also underscores the significance of protecting Palestinian heritage sites from destruction and falsification, including fraudulently altering their names, threatening the legal and historical status of Jerusalem.

The resolution aligns with dozens of resolutions issued by the United Nations (UN) and its bodies, and is in accordance with international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.

The resolution coincides with heightening daily raids into the holy city in order to change its religious and historical character; the last of which was today in the morning when extremist Jewish groups have raided al-Aqsa Mosque and intend to organize the so-called “flag march” in the afternoon to celebrate the occupation of East Jerusalem with full support of the Israeli government. In last Ramadan, the Israeli raids into al-Aqsa Mosque have significantly increased in Ramadan when Palestinian worshipers were assaulted several times and thousands of Palestinians were denied access to the mosque.

Moreover, churches and their facilities were also exposed to IOF and Israeli settlers’ assaults; most prominently was last April when IOF banned the Christian worshippers from attending the “Holly Saturday” celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, limiting the number of participants in the celebrations at and around the Church to only 1,800 people although the Church and its surrounding can take up to 10,000 people.

The Israeli authorities continue to impose a curriculum on Arab schools in the city of Jerusalem and threaten to close schools against this. Also, IOF continue to construct the settler-only elevator in an attempt to change the historical features of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and to cause irreversible damage to the authenticity and integrity of historical sites registered on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

PCHR welcomes UNESCO’s latest resolution that upholds previous resolutions issued by the Executive Board of UNESCO, and the decisions of the World Heritage Committee on Jerusalem. PCHR calls for investing this resolution all levels and intensifying efforts of international justice to ensure implementation of all UNESCO resolutions and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians and their holy sites.

PCHR urges the international community and international organizations, including UNESCO, take necessary action to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to end their illegal practices and attempts to intentionally jeopardize the Palestinian, Christian, and Islamic cultural heritage. PCHR reiterates its call on the UN Secretary-General to set a clear mechanism for implementing these resolutions through the General Assembly and the Security Council.