ISRAEL CONDEMNS THE POLITICIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AT UNESCO As the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Com

ISRAEL CONDEMNS THE POLITICIZATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE AT UNESCO As the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee convenes in Busan, South Korea, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Committee members to reject the cynical weaponization of cultural heritage and the complete betrayal of professional integrity that threaten to destroy the credibility of the World Heritage Convention. The case of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon exposes this profound international failure. For years, Hezbollah has systematically weaponized and desecrated this historic Crusader fortress, converting it into a military stronghold. Hezbollah constructed a massive network of terror tunnels directly beneath the ancient site and launched approximately 400 rockets at Israeli civilians from this compound. Lebanon bears full responsibility for allowing a terrorist organization to exploit its sovereign territory and sensitive heritage sites. UNESCO’s silence on Hezbollah’s systematic desecration of Beaufort, while targeting Israel’s defensive operations, is a moral abdication. At the same time, the Palestinian delegation continues to exploit UNESCO to advance a hostile, one-sided campaign, specifically through its initiative concerning Sebastia, ancient Samaria. Sebastia is the historic, biblical capital of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. The attempt to portray the site as facing an emergency is entirely unsupported by professional evaluation, and serves only as a political tool to erase the site’s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history. The real threat to Sebastia is the Palestinian Authority's own record of neglect and complicity, which has allowed the ancient ruins to suffer rampant vandalism, theft, and desecration. UNESCO cannot remain silent when terrorists systematically hijack heritage sites, nor can it allow its platform to be exploited to erase well-documented history. This cynical weaponization of cultural heritage undermines the very credibility of the World Heritage Convention. Israel calls on the World Heritage Committee to reject one-sided political initiatives, condemn the military exploitation of heritage sites, and stand firm in defense of professional standards, historical truth, and the shared cultural heritage of humanity. 📸 Sebastia 📹 Beaufort