Unesco puts Hebron on endangered heritage list

Unesco yesterday declared the Old City of Hebron an endangered world heritage site, sparking outrage from Israel in a new spat with the Palestinians at the international body.

The UN's cultural arm voted 12 to three -- with six abstentions -- to give heritage status to Hebron's Old City in the occupied West Bank, which is home to more than 200,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers.

The vote drew a sharp denunciation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described it as "another delusional decision by Unesco."

"This time they ruled the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron is a Palestinian site, meaning not a Jewish site, and that it is in danger," he said incredulously, speaking in Hebrew in a video posted online.

And foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon slammed the decision as "a moral blot" which denied Jewish history in the ancient city.

The Palestinian foreign ministry hailed the decision a "success" for Palestinian diplomacy.

Hebron claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world, with its origins dating back to the Chalcolithic period -- more than 3,000 years BC.

At various times it has been conquered by Romans, Jews, Crusaders and Mamluks.

Hebron's Old City is home to an ancient burial cave which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians.

Known to Muslims as the Ibrahami Mosque and to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the landmark is venerated in both religions as the gravesite of the biblical patriarch Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob.