Nativity Church in Bethlehem endangered site: UNESCO
June 30, 2012: UNESCO's World Heritage committee has voted to approve a Palestinian
bid to place the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on its list of sites of World
Heritage in danger.
The Palestinians had pressed to have the church and pilgrimage
route inscribed as an emergency candidate at the meeting of the World Heritage 21-nation
committee on Thursaday, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
UNESCO spokeswoman Sue Williams
said the committee voted 13-6 to put the iconic Christian site on the list. Emergency
status for the candidacy meant the Palestinians could take a shortcut to getting the
church on the list. The three churches – Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic
- acting as custodians of the site had also been opposed.
The churches keep
the site under a so-called status quo agreement dating to the Ottoman empire, and
fear the Palestinian action will upset that delicate balance. Parts of the church
– which drew some 2 million visitors last year - are 1,500 years old. The church stands
above the grotto that Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus.
The drive
to get the Nativity church quickly recognized as a World Heritage site was part of
the Palestinians' bid to win international recognition. Some nations saw the move
as an attempt by the Palestinians to mix politics and culture. The United States and
Israel opposed. Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ilana Stein said the decision
"has turned UNESCO into a theater of the absurd." "This is a sad day for the World
Heritage Committee," she said.
The Palestinian application asked for recognition
as a site of "outstanding universal value" urgently in need of attention. The application
cited lack of regular restoration of the church due to the political situation since
1967 when Israel occupied the territories. It also cited difficulties procuring equipment
because of lack of free movement imposed by Israeli forces.