ISTANBUL

The Palestinian group Hamas on Thursday welcomed resolutions issued by the UN cultural agency UNESCO demanding Israel halt its settlement building in occupied East Jerusalem and Hebron in the West Bank.

On Wednesday, UNESCO’s Executive Board unanimously adopted two resolutions calling for halting excavation projects and construction activities in East Jerusalem, including its Old City and surrounding areas, as well as at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the southern West Bank.

In a statement, Hamas said these UN resolutions “expose and criminalize the violations of the fascist (Israeli) occupation government against the Palestinian land and its holy sites.”

It called on the UN and the international community to pressure Israel to implement UN resolutions and prevent it from violating international law.

In its resolutions, UNESCO reaffirmed that World Heritage Sites, including occupied Jerusalem and its walls, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Old City of Hebron, home to the Ibrahimi Mosque, are an integral part of Palestine’s cultural heritage.

Tension has been high in the occupied West Bank since the Israeli war on Gaza began, killing nearly 950 Palestinians and injuring over 7,000 others since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.