2025-12-24

Hebron – Wednesday, December 24, 2025 – The Palestinian National Committee for Tangible and Intangible Heritage held its fourth meeting in the Old City of Hebron. The session was chaired by Prof. Ali Zaidan Abu Zuhri, Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Head of the Department of Education and Higher Education, and Chair of the National Committee for Tangible and Intangible Heritage. The meeting was attended by Minister of Culture Imad Hamdan and Dr. Jihad Ramadan, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

Participants included Saleh Tawafsha, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Dr. Nafe’ Assaf, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education; Ambassador Adel Attiya, Permanent Delegate of the State of Palestine to UNESCO; Rashid Awad, Assistant Deputy Minister of Local Government; Mazen Al-Zaru, diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates; Thawra Hammad from the Palestinian National Library; Prof. Saleh Al-Hudaylia representing institutions working in heritage preservation; Prof. Hani Nour El-Din as an independent expert; Eng. Shatha Safi representing civil society organizations; and Muhannad Al-Jaabari, Director General of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee. Via Zoom, Minister Ahmed Abu Dhaher, Head of the Environmental Quality Authority; Prof. Iman Al-Saqqa representing Palestinian universities; and Jamal Salem representing civil society institutions in Gaza participated in the meeting.

In his remarks, Prof. Abu Zuhri stressed that safeguarding Palestinian tangible and intangible heritage constitutes a fundamental pillar of national resilience and cultural identity, particularly in light of systematic targeting. He reviewed key resolutions issued by UNESCO and ALECSO supporting the State of Palestine, especially concerning the protection of heritage in Jerusalem, Hebron, and Gaza. He highlighted major national achievements, including the recognition of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town, including the Ibrahimi Mosque, by the World Heritage Committee; the inclusion of Hebron in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of crafts and folk arts; and the registration of the Old Cities of Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza, in ALECSO’s Register of Arab Architectural and Urban Heritage.

Abu Zuhri emphasized the significance of convening the meeting in Hebron, a city that embodies one of the deepest manifestations of Palestinian cultural identity through its architecture, crafts, and living memory. He described the meeting as a key step toward translating international and regional resolutions into national policies and practical programs to enhance the protection, documentation, and transmission of Palestinian heritage to future generations, underscoring that heritage is not merely a memory of the past but a living foundation of resilience, identity, and development.

Minister Hamdan noted the importance of the timing of the meeting, given ongoing national efforts to protect and preserve Hebron’s Old City, which holds exceptional historical, cultural, and universal human value. He referred to the significant challenges posed by occupation policies, including systematic violations and attempts at appropriation and falsification of heritage. He reaffirmed the Ministry of Culture’s full commitment to advancing and monitoring intangible heritage files and working toward their inscription on international and regional lists, including UNESCO, ICESCO, and ALECSO, within a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard Palestinian intangible heritage and defend cultural rights internationally.

Deputy Minister Tawafsha outlined measures undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to register additional historical sites on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, acknowledging the considerable political pressures facing Palestine while affirming the Ministry’s continued commitment to securing international recognition of Palestinian rights to these archaeological sites.

The meeting included a presentation by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on developments regarding the nomination of Hisham’s Palace in Jericho to the UNESCO World Heritage List and plans to nominate the archaeological site of Sebastia to the List of World Heritage in Danger. Updates were also provided on follow-up efforts concerning the Outstanding Universal Value of Hebron’s Old Town in coordination with Palestine’s Delegation to UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

The Ministry of Culture presented updates on a joint Arab file led by Palestine for inscription on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, progress on nominating “Ka’ak Al-Quds” (Jerusalem sesame bread) to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, updates to the national inventory of intangible heritage, and priorities for elements proposed for inclusion in the upcoming periodic report under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A special presentation by the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee addressed the status of heritage in Hebron’s Old City, the challenges it faces, and documentation and protection mechanisms amid ongoing violations against historical and cultural sites.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants stressed the importance of strengthening national coordination among relevant official bodies and translating international and regional decisions into effective national policies and implementation programs to ensure the protection, preservation, and transmission of Palestinian heritage to future generations.