UNESCO added the ancient hilltop town of Sebastia to both its World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger on Friday, acting under emergency procedures at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. The committee also inscribed Lebanon's Mount Amel castles on the same dual lists.
The site, located roughly 10 kilometers northwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, was recognized for its continuity of civilization from the Iron Age through the Ottoman era. The danger designation reflects what the committee cited as serious threats, including Israeli land expropriation plans and a project to develop a national park around the site's acropolis backed by more than 9 million euros in funding.
Palestinian delegate Adel Atiya welcomed the decision as protection for threatened heritage, while Israeli delegate Nina Ben-Ami objected to the listing. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said no political decision could erase history.