UNESCO adds Sebastia and five Lebanese castles to World Heritage lists amid Israel objections

Unesco adds West Bank site to endangered list despite Israeli objections The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has added the archaeological site of Sebastia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.  The nomination was made despite objections from Israel, which had urged the committee to reject the bids, during a meeting in South Korea's Busan, after reviewing the nomination on an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The committee also decided to place five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel area on the lists. It said the castles in Lebanon date from the medieval period to the 19th century and “illustrate successive phases of occupation and adaptation by Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman, and local feudal rulers”. 🔴 BREAKING! New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List & on the List of World Heritage in Danger: Sebastia, #StateofPalestine 🇵🇸. ➡️ https://t.co/iO4B0Cjg9u #48WHC pic.twitter.com/49L9eTwzrn — UNESCO (@UNESCO) July 24, 2026

A United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) committee has voted to add the archaeological site of Sebastia in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and five castles in southern Lebanon's Mount Amel region to the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.The decision was taken at the committee's meeting in Busan, South Korea, after reviewing both nominations on an emergency basis. It came despite objections from Israel, whose Foreign Ministry had urged UNESCO to reject the nominations, describing them as a “weaponisation of cultural heritage,” the Associated Press reports.Sebastia, located about 10 kilometres northwest of Nablus, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The site contains archaeological remains from the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. According to UNESCO, Christian and Islamic traditions hold that John the Baptist was buried there.Israel accuses the PA of weaponizing UNESCO in its bid to list Sebastia, a 450-acre site with 3,000+ years of history. Critics warn such moves risk politicizing heritage; supporters say the status could protect cultural legacy and promote education. https://t.co/Jzj94EgxOQ pic.twitter.com/X6rTRY63uF— Drew Grimaldi (@Grimillionaire) July 23, 2026The Palestinian delegation first submitted Sebastia's nomination to UNESCO in 2012, arguing that World Heritage status was necessary to preserve the largely undeveloped site, which remains under Israeli control and requires further conservation despite attracting tourists.Israel opposes listings, raises concernsThe latest designation comes as Israel, which does not recognise a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate large areas of land around Sebastia while facing international pressure to curb violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.Also Watch:In a statement issued on Tuesday, Israel's Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a “hostile, one-sided campaign” at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency. It described the move as a political attempt to “erase the site's profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history.”Israel, which withdrew from UNESCO in 2019 over allegations that the organisation was biased against it and downplayed its historical ties to the Holy Land, also objected to the inclusion of Beaufort Castle, one of the five nominated castles in the Mount Amel region.The ministry alleged that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, had turned Beaufort Castle into a military stronghold by constructing tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the surrounding area. It accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.Mumbai: Fire Breaks Out At MSEB Headquarters In Bandra; Building EvacuatedUNESCO, Lebanon decline commentThe five castles in the Mount Amel region were recognised for their layered architectural heritage, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences that reflect the evolution of fortified architecture over nearly nine centuries, according to UNESCO.UNESCO and the Lebanese embassy in South Korea declined to comment on Israel's allegations regarding Hezbollah.Separately, the UNESCO committee on Wednesday placed Tyre, the ancient Phoenician city in southern Lebanon, on the List of World Heritage in Danger.