Tell es-Sultan is an oval tell or hill in the Jordan Valley and contains prehistoric evidence of human activity.
A UN committee has voted to add prehistoric ruins near the ancient city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank to Palestine’s world heritage list.
The decision, criticized by Israel, was made on Sunday at a meeting of the UN World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the auspices of the UN educational, scientific and cultural organization UNESCO.
The listing refers to the nearby archaeological site of Tell es-Sultan, which contains prehistoric ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BC. BC and lies outside the ancient city itself.
“Due to the oasis’s fertile soil and easy access to water, the 9th to 8th millennium B.C. a permanent settlement,” UNESCO said on its website.
A view of the prehistoric site of Tell es-Sultan [Hazem Bader/AFP]Tell es-Sultan, an oval-shaped hill, contains evidence of one of humanity’s first known villages and an important Bronze Age city dating to 2,600 BC. BC
It lies about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the remains of the first city of Jericho, which contains ruins of importance to Jewish history, including a synagogue from the first century BCE. BC
Jericho is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth and lies in part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which is administered by the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
Israel criticizes decision
Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Sunday condemning the decision, calling it a “cynical ploy.”
“The State Department views today’s decision as another sign of how cynically the Palestinians are exploiting UNESCO and the politicization of the organization,” the statement said.
“Israel will act with its many friends in the organization to change the flawed decisions.”
Israel withdrew from the UN organization in 2019 amid accusations of promoting anti-Israel bias, but sent a delegation to this year’s meeting in Saudi Arabia.
An aerial view of the prehistoric site of Tell es-Sultan [Hazem Bader/AFP]Israel conquered the West Bank as well as Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians want all three areas for a future state.
There have been no serious or substantive peace negotiations in over a decade, and Israel is currently led by one of the most right-wing, nationalist governments in its history, making a move toward a Palestinian state seem extremely unlikely.
Historical heritage has long been one of the many flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides using archeology and conservation to demonstrate their own, what they say, unique connection to the Holy Land.
The Palestinian Authority, recognized by the United Nations as a non-member observer state a decade ago, welcomed Tell es-Sultan’s appointment.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement that it “testifies to the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people,” adding that “the State of Palestine is committed to preserving this unique place for the benefit of humanity.”