Overview
- A UN committee voted to designate ancient ruins near Jericho as a World Heritage Site in Palestine.
- The ruins at Tell es-Sultan date back to the 9th millennium BC and are located outside Jericho, one of the world's oldest inhabited cities.
- Israel, which controls the territory, opposes the move as it does not recognize a Palestinian state.
- Israel withdrew from UNESCO in 2019 but remains party to the World Heritage Convention.
- The decision highlights tensions over competing Israeli and Palestinian historical claims in the region.