By Anees Bargouthi

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The West Bank city of Hebron has been officially named World Crafts City, Tourism and Antiques Minister Rola Maayah said Tuesday.

Maayah said it was the first time a Palestinian city had been granted the title by the World Crafts Council.

“Hebron is an ancient Palestinian city that has more than 6,000 years of history and heritage that should be shown to the whole world,” she said. “This title is very important for Hebron’s old city, which suffers from Israeli daily violations and settlement construction.”

Hebron is the West Bank’s economic capital, famous for its porcelain, pottery, glass, olive wood and leather tanning industries. It is also the largest with approximately 200,000 residents.