Facts

• The United Nations voted on Sunday to designate prehistoric ruins at Tell es-Sultan, a site near the West Bank city of Jericho, as a World Heritage site. The ruins date back to the ninth millennium BC.
• The UN's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decision was met with backlash from Israel, which parted ways with the organization in 2019. The foreign ministry called the decision a "cynical ploy" and accused the Palestinians of using UNESCO in its politicization efforts.
• At the time of its departure from UNESCO, Israel blamed the organization for minimizing Jewish ties to the Holy Land when it deemed a shrine in Hebron, a biblical city, a Palestinian World Heritage site. Israel criticized the Tell es-Sultan announcement as a further minimization, as the site is in an area administered by the Palestinian Authority.
• In response to the criticism from Israel, Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO's assistant director general, said that during the three-year candidacy period, "no state party raised any objections." Ottone went on to state: "There are no Jewish or Christian remains found at the (Tell al-Sultan) site. It's a place of prehistoric remains."
• In 2019, the US joined Israel in leaving UNESCO. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said at the time, "UNESCO is among the most corrupt and politically biased UN agencies."