RAMALLAH, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) intensified its efforts to add more Palestinian places to the World Heritage Sites, an official said Wednesday.
A Palestinian delegation arrived in the French capital of Paris this week to discuss with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officials the inclusion of the West Bank village of Battir into the organization 's list, said Hamadan Taha, deputy minister of tourism.
The aim of this effort is to save the village's lands from being seized by Israel for the construction of the West Bank separation barrier, Taha told Xinhua.
The ancient village is located near the holy city of Bethlehem and is under the PNA's control.
"We want to maintain it as a Palestinian and humanitarian heritage," Taha said, noting that the village has terraces and " historical irrigation systems."
Meanwhile, Taha said that the UNESCO Secretariat will meet on June 24 to discuss the Palestinian request to consider Bethlehem as a World Heritage Site. The PNA is also preparing files for 20 Palestinian sites to join the world list of historical and heritage sites.
In October, the UNESCO granted the Palestinians a full membership in a voting that was opposed by the United States, Israel and 13 other countries.
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