Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir

• Potential construction of a separation fence (wall)
• Abandonment of terraces and afforestation
• Impact of socio-cultural and geo-political transformations
• Changes in traditional ways of life and knowledge system
• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Invasive/alien terrestrial species
• New constructions within the property’s boundaries

• Potential construction of a separation fence (wall)
• Abandonment of terraces and afforestation
• Impact of socio-cultural and geo-political transformations

Adopted; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6245 

Adopted; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6245

Adopted; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6989

On 28 January 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report and an updated version was submitted on 29 January 2021. Both reports are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1492/documents and present progress in a number of conservation issues previously addressed by the Committee, as follows:

• The Management Conservation Plan (MCP) has been finalised, translated into Arabic and disseminated among local actors and communities. In October 2019, it was co-signed by key stakeholders;
• The proposed management structure is not yet in place, and neither the Steering nor the Site Management Committees have been set. The Directorate of the World Heritage Sites in Palestine coordinates and ensures the implementation of the MCP until the management system is operational. Regular coordination meetings and workshops were held and planned for implementing projects and activities;
• Progress is made towards the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) by implementing corrective measures:

-         Dismissal of plans to build a “Wall” along the property, or within its setting: Plans to build a “wall” throughout the property remain suspended. The definitive dismissal of these plans is essentially beyond the State Party’s control,

-         Adequate conservation of the agricultural terraces and their associated components, including watchtowers and drystone walls throughout the property: Implementation of projects to preserve biodiversity, rehabilitate agricultural lands, traditional and hiking paths and dry-stone walls has continued. A training workshop was conducted on rehabilitation of dry-stone walls rehabilitation,

-         Adequate restoration in place of the irrigation system and the development of an adequate sewage system to protect water quality in the property: Projects have been prepared for the rehabilitation of the traditional irrigation system. Water quality inspections and maintenance are carried out regularly. Efforts have been deployed to improve the sewage system, but the necessary funds (USD 25 million) have not yet been secured. The responsible authorities have adopted temporary measures, such as banning the construction of new houses without sealed septic tanks and providing inhabitants with low-cost tanks that need to be discharged periodically at sewage stations,

-         The project to improve the water supply network in Battir (USD 200,000) has been undertaken, while the execution of a wastewater treatment plant project awaits funding and the implementation of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre,

-         Protection in place for the property and its buffer zone, and, Management plan and a monitoring system adopted and sustainable management system in place: A monitoring system has been developed within the MCP and will be implemented once the management system is effective;

• Other activities include festivals, capacity building, rehabilitation, cleaning and awareness raising;
• The State Party’s January 2021 report confirms that main activities have continued, though the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected ongoing and planned activities. The tourism sector has been heavily hit, resulting in a dramatically-reduced income for local inhabitants. However, a positive aspect is the return of farmers to cultivate the land.

Further, the State Party reports on several threats with a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including:

• “Urban growth within and around the property;
• Illegal construction of Israeli settlements, in the property and on surrounding hills, setting up of pitched tents for the establishment of a new settlement, demolishment of drystone walls, houses and rest areas in the property and its buffer zone, the cutting of olive trees, prevention of recovery projects;
• Planning by the Israeli Occupation Authorities for a 632.87-acre industrial zone, covering part of the buffer zone”.

The State Party wishes to retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Throughout 2019 and 2020, the State Party demonstrated progress in implementing the necessary measures to achieve the DSOCR and to respond to the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee. The 2021 report confirms the State Party’s commitment, while admitting that the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down processes and activities.

The MCP has been finalised but the envisioned management system, which is crucial for effective management, is not operational yet. In particular, it is urgent to establish the Steering Committee and an implementation working group, involving decision–makers from the local authorities and, in the working group, technical staff from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MOTA), the municipalities and any other relevant institution. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to allocate the necessary resources for a site manager and, in the meantime, implement alternatives, such as creating a joint office with MOTA and staff from the municipalities and other relevant ministries, in order to ensure the coordinated and synergic operationalisation of the MCP. This system can build upon the recently-achieved endorsement of the MCP by all stakeholders and upon the management/coordination meetings that have been held with the municipalities and should continue on a regular basis in the future.

Maintenance and rehabilitation projects for attributes of the agricultural landscape, awareness-raising initiatives and local product promotion have been or are being implemented despite limitations and unfavourable conditions. Temporary alternatives and measures have been enacted to counter the lack of funds to improve the sewage system; however, the solution adopted – low-cost tanks – requires close monitoring of the modalities and regularity of the periodic discharge of these tanks at sewage stations and should be considered a short-term solution. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to continue seeking funds for the improvement of the sewage system as a priority.

The envisaged elaboration of a land-use plan and related bylaws is crucial to avoid uncontrolled urban expansion: the plan should be prepared with the full involvement of the municipalities and the local communities to ensure that its goal and provisions are appropriate.

UNESCO received a letter from the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (on 5 September 2019) and two letters from the Permanent Delegation of Palestine to UNESCO (on 10 October 2019 and 18 June 2021) regarding violations and illegal constructions undertaken in and near the property. The Secretariat followed up with the State Party of Israel, requesting the relevant information.

The return to agriculture is a positive sign and is to be supported so as to ensure that farming continues after the pandemic emergency.

It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre of any proposed plans for major restoration or new construction projects that may affect the OUV of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse.

In order to monitor progress with the implementation of the corrective measures in relation to the actual state of conservation of the property, it is crucial that this progress is measured against the inventories carried out during the preparation of the MCP that show the current assessed situation on the ground.

It is recommended that the property be retained on the List of World Heritage in Danger.