UNESCO voted on Friday to include the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in its list of World Heritage Sites.
Located in the West Bank, the 4th-century church is built over a cave revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The decision marked the first successful bid by Palestinians to include the prestigious World Heritage List since Palestine was controversially granted UNESCO membership last year.
The decision was announced during a meeting of UNESCO delegates in St. Petersburg. Thirteen members of the 21-strong World Heritage Committee supported the Palestinian bid. Two countries abstained and six others voted against.
The declaration covers the church and its surrounding pilgrimage route.
“This decision reaffirms the importance of the holy city of Bethlehem for the peoples of the world and its significance for the entire human civilization,” Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said more similar bids would be submitted for consideration by UNESCO.
Friday’s decision will help the Palestinians oppose Israeli attempts aimed at the “Judaization of holy Palestinian sites,” he said in an interview with the Voice of Palestine radio station.
The BBC quoted Israel's permanent delegate, Nimrod Barkan, as saying his country supported awarding World Heritage Site status to the Church of the Nativity under a completely different, non-emergency procedure that carried no implications for the stalled Middle East peace process.
“The decision taken now was totally political and does great damage our opinion to the [UN] convention and its image," he said.
The Palestinians controversially joined the UN heritage body last year, when its general assembly voted 107-14 to make Palestine its 195th member.
The Palestinians have moved to seek full membership in the United Nations and the recognition of an independent Palestinian state by the global body. Israel, backed by the United States, strongly opposes these efforts, saying such a state can only be created through negotiations.
