On Monday, UNESCO decided to place 34 sites in Lebanon under enhanced protection. (Photo distributed on X/@PLinUNESCO)
BEIRUT — UNESCO announced on Monday that it was placing 34 cultural sites in Lebanon threatened by Israeli bombardments under "provisional reinforced protection" and granting emergency financial assistance to save the country's heritage. This decision follows an appeal by the Ministry of Culture and 100 Lebanese MPs in early November.
These cultural properties, including the World Heritage archaeological sites of Baalbeck and Sour, "now enjoy the highest level of immunity from attack and use for military purposes," according to the U.N. organization's statement, which warns that "failure to comply with these clauses would constitute a serious violation of the 1954 Hague Convention and would open the possibility of prosecution."
The 34 sites include two museums, the Sursock Museum and the National Museum, and six UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Baalbeck, Sour, Anjar, Byblos, the Cedars and the Rachid Karameh International Fair. The decision of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property was taken unanimously by Qatar, Poland, Mali, Brazil, Italy, Armenia, Japan, Finland and Gabon.
The outgoing Minister of Culture, Mohammad Mortada, felt that "this decision is a major ray of hope in the midst of darkness."
"We hope that this measure will dissuade Israel, which is acting outside any regulatory framework, from damaging protected sites," he added.
The strikes by Israel, which has been engaged in open warfare against Hezbollah since Sept. 23, are aimed in particular at the cities of Baalbeck (east) and Sour (south), whose ancient sites are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Usually divided, more than a hundred Lebanese MPs from all sides — out of a total of 128 in Parliament — took the initiative on Nov. 7 to write to the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.
"During the devastating war against Lebanon, Israel has committed serious human rights violations and atrocities," they wrote. "We draw your attention to an urgent need: the protection of Lebanon's history, in Baalbeck, Sour, Saida and other priceless sites currently under threat. We urge you to take all necessary measures to protect these cultural icons."
And on Sunday, in a petition addressed to UNESCO, 300 cultural professionals, including archaeologists and academics, called on the institution to guarantee the protection of Lebanese heritage, in particular, Baalbeck, on the eve of a crucial meeting at the Paris headquarters of the UN agency.
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Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the decision "a victory for justice and a resounding warning shot against the Israeli enemy, which is continuing its destructive aggression against Lebanon."
"This decision is a powerful deterrent against the Israeli enemy, because it classifies the attack on the archaeological sites as a war crime, liable to prosecution before international courts," he added.
Two prominent United Nations bodies in the region, the peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), have repeatedly come under attack from Israel, with the latter even banned by Israel's Cabinet. In late September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the U.N. a "house of darkness" and a "swamp of antisemitic bile," during his speech to the General Assembly.