The U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Friday declared Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the nearby pilgrimage route World Heritage sites. Thirteen members of the 21-nation World Heritage Committee voted in favor of the Palestinian application, securing exactly the needed number of votes. Two countries abstained and six voted against the bid. “I am delighted," Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the conference in Saint Petersburg, Russia. “You have our most gracious thanks." Al-Malki applauded the committee for granting Palestinians their cultural rights and pledged Palestine's commitment to protecting world heritage. Palestine is the “cradle of human civilization" the foreign minister said, adding that it will submit further nominations to secure World Heritage status for villages south of Jerusalem whose identities are threatened by the Israeli separation wall. The UNESCO list is intended to recognize and protect world cultural and natural heritage sites that meet a “universal value to humanity." Some 900 sites have been registered since the list was introduced in 1972.
