Israel rejects inclusion of Ancient City of Jericho on World Heritage List

By Said Amori and Gulsen Topcu

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel on Sunday renounced the inclusion of the Ancient City of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) on the World Heritage List by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The decision is an indication of Palestinians' use of UNESCO and the politicization of the organization, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Israel will work to change all the "bad" decisions made, the statement noted.

Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maayah announced Sunday that UNESCO has included the Ancient City of Jericho in the World Heritage List.

Israel opposed the organization's admission of Palestine as a member state in 2011 and withdrew from the organization in 2019, claiming that UNESCO was biased.

*Writing by Merve Berker