Destruction of Nablus Old City,, a war crime, Palestinian minister
What has happened since
Restoration work followed the 2002 damage
UNESCO sent technical-assistance missions to Nablus on 5–10 November and 7–12 December 2002 to support rehabilitation of Khan al-Wakalat. A UNESCO report said curfews and damage sustained in April 2002 had disrupted the restoration project's timetable and budget.[1]
European Union funding supported rehabilitation
UNESCO subsequently reported that it had rehabilitated the Khan Al Wakalah compound with €2.5 million in European Union funding. The project was intended to enable the compound to serve commercial, tourism and cultural activities.[2]
Soap-making tradition gained UNESCO recognition
On 4 December 2024, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that UNESCO's intergovernmental committee had adopted the inscription of the tradition of Nabulsi soap making in Palestine on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The recognition concerned the soap-making tradition, rather than the historic city's buildings.[3]
Fire damaged Al-Nasr Mosque in 2025
AFP reported that footage recorded on 7 March 2025 showed the blackened and partly charred interior of Al-Nasr Mosque, a landmark in Nablus Old City. Palestinian officials attributed the fire to an Israeli military raid. AFP said the Israeli army did not immediately provide an official comment when contacted.[4]
June operation damaged homes and other structures
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that Israeli forces conducted a 30-hour operation in Nablus on 10–11 June 2025. Forces imposed a curfew mainly on the Old City and surrounding areas and searched at least 250 homes, damaging homes and other structures, OCHA said.[5]
Nablus entered the World Heritage Tentative List
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre records a submission titled “The Historic City of Nablus and its environs”, made by the Permanent Delegation of the State of Palestine to UNESCO on 13 January 2026. It is a Tentative List submission, not an inscription on the World Heritage List.[6]
Submission describes a living historic city
The Palestinian submission describes Nablus as a living urban centre whose heritage includes mosques, markets, hammams, soap factories, caravanserais and palaces. These descriptions are the submitting state's assessment; UNESCO states that responsibility for Tentative List content rests with the state concerned.[6]
Sources
- Application of decision on educational and cultural institutions in the OATs - UNESCO summary — United Nations, reproducing UNESCO material
- EU and UNESCO restore Nablus' landmark Khan Al Wakalah - UNESCO press release — United Nations, reproducing a UNESCO press release
- UNESCO adopts decision to include Nablus soap making tradition on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — WAFA, 2024-12-04
- Palestinian officials accuse Israeli forces of damaging historic West Bank mosque — Agence France-Presse, published by Al-Monitor, 2025-03-07
- Humanitarian Situation Update #298 | West Bank — United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- The Historic City of Nablus and its environs — UNESCO World Heritage Centre; submission by the Permanent Delegation of the State of Palestine to UNESCO
The original report
ArabicNews.com, August 13, 2002
Palestinian minister of culture and information, Yasser Abed Rabbo, condemned the latest Israeli efforts to cause irreparable damage to invaluable cultural and historical sites as war crimes and crimes against humanity, most notably in the Old City of Nablus.
In a letter to UNESCO Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura and to diplomatic representatives to the Palestine National Authority (PNA) on 11 August, the minister called upon the international community to safeguard Palestinian heritage and culture and to call upon Israel to halt its continuous efforts to destroy Palestinian land and history.
The damage in the historic core, which make up 70% of the whole fabric of the City, Abed Rabbo said, includes Al-Khadra Mosque; the Greek Orthodox Church, Sheik Musalm Sanctuary; Six traditional soap factories; Abu Samat factory, the Carvanarei of Khan et-Tujjar in addition to more than 64 domestic units, estimated to have sustained partial or complete damage.
This includes the whole infrastructure of the area such as roads, electricity and sewage; 15 groups of buildings in Al-Qaryoun quarter, on the southwestern border of the old city and Al-Fatimeyeh school, the minister added.
"Following these dangerous developments and implications, the Palestinian leadership reiterates its appeal to the international community to condemn Israel for its continuous violation of international law concerning the protection of cultural heritage, and most notably its military targeting and deliberate demolishing of the Old City of Nablus, as an act made in direct contravention of human rights and as a war crime against humanity" the letter goes on.
