Israel claims two West Bank sites for heritage list - Summary

Jerusalem - Israel on Sunday announced the addition of two sites in the occupied West Bank to its national heritage list, sparking outrage amongst left-wing parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a special cabinet meeting in the northern town of Tel Hai that the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem would be included on the list of around 150 sites that the government plans to promote.

Israel's existence, he said, depended not only on its defence force or its economic resilience, but also on its "ability to justify our connection to the land," Netanyahu said.

Israeli ministers endorsed the plan unanimously. Netanyahu was seen to bow to pressure from right-wing politicians and the country's settlers' lobby to include the two sites in the Palestinian- administered West Bank on the list at the last minute.

Leftist Israeli party Meretz slammed the decision by saying that "this is another attempt to blur the borders between the State of Israel and the occupied territories," chairman Chaim Oron said Sunday.

"This decision puts Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan declaration of two states for two peoples in an absurd light," Oron added while right-wing parties welcomed the announcement.

"Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs form the base for all the other sites," Uri Orbach member of the right-wing religious party Habayit Hayehudi said.

"It's a pity that the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb need to lobby in order to get onto the list of heritage sites that require government support," Orbach added.

The leader of the Yesha Council representing Jewish settlers in the West Bank, Danny Dayan, said the decision "is a significant and historic achievement for the Jewish nation."

Rachel's Tomb is regarded as the Biblical grave of the wife of Jacob, who is buried at the Cave of the Patriarchs, along with Abraham, known to Muslims as Ibrahim, and regarded as a patriarch by Muslims, Jews and Christians.

According to media reports, the cost of preserving the 150 heritage sites would be in the region of 400 million shekels (106 million dollars).

Palestinians want to include the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as East Jerusalem in their future state. The presence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank is considered one of the primary obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/310450,israel-claims-two-west-bank-sites-for-heritage-list--summary.html.