JEDDAH: The Arab Tourism Organization on Wednesday condemned Israeli strikes on the heritage and archaeological sites of Lebanon, calling upon the global community to prevent the loss of the Middle Eastern nation’s cultural heritage.
The organisation in a statement urged the international community and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to take urgent steps to protect Roman archaeological sites in Baalbek and other heritage areas from Israeli strikes
المنظمة تدين الإعتداءات الإسرائيلية على المواقع التراثية والآثرية اللبنانية.
تلقت #المنظمة_العربية_للسياحة خطاب من معالي #وزير_السياحة بـ #جمهورية_لبنان يشرح من خلاله ماتتعرض له #مدينة_بعلبك ومواقعها التاريخية من قصف غاشم من #العدو_الصهيوني حيث أدانت تلك الإعتداءات الصارخة… pic.twitter.com/dCfDyO1kwB
— المنظمة العربية للسياحة (@Arabtourism_org) November 13, 2024
“The ongoing war and repeated attacks pose an imminent danger to these sites, leading to irreparable losses and undermining security and stability, which contradicts fundamental human and religious values,” it said.
President of the Arab Tourism Organisation, Dr. Bandar Al-Fuhaid said the organisation, and the Arab tourism community in general, are committed to supporting the Republic of Lebanon in preserving its heritage.
According to a BBC report, a car park just metres away from the UNESCO World Heritage site was struck by an Israeli air strike on November 6. It said the attack, also destroyed a centuries-old Ottoman building.
“Baalbek is the major Roman site in Lebanon. You couldn’t replace it if someone bombed it,” says Graham Philip, an archaeology professor at Durham University while speaking to the BBC. “It would be a huge loss. It would be a crime,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNESCO in a statement said that an extraordinary meeting of the Committee was scheduled to take place on 18 November 2024, at its headquarters in Paris to discuss the protection of cultural property in Lebanon.
The agency said the meeting was called at the request of Lebanon with the support of two-thirds of the members of the Committee. It said the meeting was sought in accordance with Article 3.3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, more than 3,200 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war started in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It said 2,600 people were killed in the seven weeks since Israel launched an intense air campaign followed by a ground invasion in the south.
