A United Nations committee in Busan, South Korea, voted Friday to add the West Bank town of Sebastia and five Lebanese castles in the Mount Amel region to the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision comes despite formal objections from Israel, which called the nominations a weaponization of cultural heritage
.
The UNESCO committee used an emergency procedure to finalize the listings, citing the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. While the move is a diplomatic victory for the Palestinian delegation and Lebanese authorities, it deepens a rift with Israel, which withdrew from the agency in 2019 over allegations of bias.
The Battle for Sebastia: Ancient Samaria and Land Seizures
Sebastia, a hilltop town located about 10 kilometers northwest of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. Its ruins are a dense layer of history, spanning the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods. According to a UNESCO website, Christian and Islamic traditions also hold that John the Baptist was buried there.
The Palestinian delegation first sought this listing in 2012, arguing that the site requires urgent conservation and protection.
The land dispute is split by administrative lines: the archaeological mound is in Area C, under full Israeli civil and security control, while the town’s tourism infrastructure is in Area B, under mixed jurisdiction. Residents fear that these seizures will destroy the local economy, which relies on agriculture and tourism.
Mount Amel and the Military Use of Beaufort Castle
In southern Lebanon, UNESCO recognized five castles in the Mount Amel region for their architectural evolution over nine centuries, blending Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and local influences. Among these is the medieval Beaufort Castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, which Israeli forces seized in May during a deep incursion into Lebanon.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry objected to the inclusion, alleging that Hezbollah turned the castle into a military stronghold with tunnels beneath the site and used the area to launch rockets. A Lebanese delegate rejected these claims at the Friday meeting, insisting the castles have been used only for cultural and tourism purposes
since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000.
Lebanon’s culture ministry reported that Israeli bombardment had already destroyed one of the five sites, Shamaa Castle.
The Endangered Status of Tyre
Separate from the Mount Amel castles, the UN committee on Wednesday placed the ancient Phoenician city of city of Tyre on the list of world heritage sites in danger.
Tyre, which entered the World Heritage list in 1984, contains significant Roman-era remains, including a triumphal arch and a second-century hippodrome. Adnan Istanbouli, an employee at the Directorate General of Antiquities, described the damage as if an earthquake hit it
.
The IDF maintains that it does not aim to cause excessive damage to civilian infrastructure and applies a rigorous approval process
for strikes near sensitive sites. However, Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame has accused Israel of disregarding blue shields
—the international symbols used to protect cultural sites during armed conflict—and failing to comply with the 1954 Hague Convention.
Diplomatic Stakes and the Narrative War
- Trump Says No Final Decision on Major Iran Strikes Amid Ceasefire Push
- West Bank Clashes Near Tal Village Leave Six Dead and Spark Settler Riots
- HRW: Settler Attacks in West Bank Village Spark Deadly Violence and Reprisals (archyde.com)
- Six Dead in West Bank Clash as Netanyahu Vows Hard Response to Settler Violence (archynewsy.com)
