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CNN: Old City on ‘Verge of Extinction’

The Jerusalem district listed in top spot of endangered structures despite protections by Israeli law

by
Jas Chana
July 06, 2015
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
The Dome of the Rock mosque in the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem seen following heavy snow fall on February 20, 2015.Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
The Dome of the Rock mosque in the al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem seen following heavy snow fall on February 20, 2015.Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

CNN recently published a slideshow that effectively names the world’s 25 most endangered sites and buildings. The list, compiled by CNN Style, urges people to visit these “magnificent structures” before “it’s too late,” claiming that each of these sites are on the “verge of extinction.” CNN’s decision to name the Old City in Jerusalem in the no.1 spot has incited a great deal of pushback from the wider Jewish community and publications who see CNN, at best, as compiling a poorly thought out list and, at worst, contributing to the perceived anti-Israel bias of the United Nations. But lets dig a little deeper.

CNN includes Jerusalem’s Old City as no.1 in part because “no other site has spent more time on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in danger.” The UNESCO list includes 48 global properties “in danger in accordance with Article 11 (4) of the Convention,” which specifies that the sites on the list are those threatened by “serious and specific dangers,” like

…the threat of disappearance caused by accelerated deterioration, large-scale public or private projects or rapid urban or tourist development projects; destruction caused by changes in the use or ownership of the land; major alterations due to unknown causes; abandonment for any reason whatsoever; the outbreak or the threat of an armed conflict; calamities and cataclysms; serious fires, earthquakes, landslides; volcanic eruptions; changes in water level, floods and tidal waves.

“The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls” was placed on the UNESCO list in 1982 after Jordan’s nomination of the site in 1980, which, according to the UNESCO report, highlighted the “severe destruction caused by a rapid urbanization” of the area. CNN points out that “political tension has hardened relations between Israel and UNESCO, preventing preservation plans from moving forward.” UNESCO’s decision to mark the Old City as in danger was contentious because it was made without Israel’s consent. At the time, the United States opposed the decision because Israel effectively controlled Jerusalem and so the Old City’s “ultimate status should be determined through negotiations by all the parties concerned.” In 2011, UNESCO affirmed its position that “in line with relevant UN resolutions, East Jerusalem remains part of the occupied Palestinian territory.”

Critics of the CNN slideshow also point out that it neglected to include the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, which is also on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The city is currently suffering from an ISIS-led siege. Just last week, The Independent reported the Islamic State’s destruction of a series of ancient artifacts, including a 2,000 year old, 15-ton statue called the lion of al-Lat. Despite both sites being included on UNESCO’s list, critics differentiate between Palmyra, which is in the midst of evident destruction, and the Old City that is protected by Israeli law regarding freedom of religion—namely, 1967’s “Preservation of the Holy Places Law,” which protects religious sites and worshipers rights to visit them.

Jas Chana is a former intern at Tablet.