Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said yesterday that putting the city of Bethlehem on the World Heritage List at the UNESCO organization represents the most prominent event for the establishment of the Palestinian state. Fayyad said in a speech, "This event is an expression of the growing international awareness of the need to recover the national cultural rights of the Palestinian people on their soil; the realization of the rights of full membership of Palestine in the UNESCO; and the signing of the International Convention on the Preservation of the International Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972. Fayyad called on the United Nations to protect the Palestinian people and its land, property and holy sites. He also called on the international community to end the Israeli occupation.
