MOSCOW, August 15 (RIA Novosti) — The Palestinian Authority Tourism and Antiquities Ministry urged the international community and the United Nations to condemn the Israeli military’s targeting and destruction of cultural, religious and natural heritage sites calling them a war crime and a violation of human rights.
"Her Excellency, Rula Ma’ayah, Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, calls on the international community, especially the UNESCO, World Heritage Committee … and other international organizations to condemn the Israeli indiscriminate attacks against civilians and continuous violations of the international humanitarian law and the military targeting of cultural and natural heritage sites as war crimes and as intentional acts of destruction of cultural and natural heritage in violation of human rights," the minister’s office said in a press release Wednesday.
The ministry explained that some of the destroyed and damaged sites were to be on the Palestinian Authority’s list of places that it wants inscribed on the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.
The ministry reported the destruction of 41 mosques and damage to 120 mosques and shrines. The 3,000-year-old Anthedon Harbor, Gaza’s first known seaport, also suffered considerable damage as a result of the current conflict.
Israel, defending its actions, claims Hamas has stored weapons in its mosques, The Jerusalem Post reported. In a previous charge, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Hamas had dug tunnels underneath mosques or used them as bases from which to launch rockets.
The Tourism Ministry is calling on the international community and UNESCO "to take immediate measures to stop the aggression on civilians and the intentional destruction of cultural and natural heritage in the Gaza Strip."
It claimed that the damages so far caused by the IDF to the Anthedon Harbor and other culturally significant sites was a violation of international agreements such as the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Hague Convention and Protocol of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
The destruction caused to these sites, "is a great loss for humanity," the ministry added. Currently, the IDF has not made any official comments on the matter.
On July 8, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip, known as Operation Protective Edge, to combat Hamas and other rival Palestinian forces during which more than 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israeli citizens have been killed.
