Statement of Condemnation and Warning issued by the Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) regarding the raid on the Old Hebron Museum
The Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Palestine) expresses its strong condemnation of the continuous
assaults and deliberate targeting by the Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian museums through repeated raids and partial or
total destruction, in addition to looting them and plundering their architectural possessions and heritage acquisitions. This
comes within the context of Judaization schemes and attempts to erase cultural identity as part of a systematic policy of erasure
and extermination of Palestinian cultural heritage.
Since the 7th of October 2023, Palestinian museums in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip have witnessed a fierce
aggression by Israeli occupation authorities in the form of multiple assaults and Judaization schemes. The last of these
continuous assaults was the occupation authorities’ raid on the Old Hebron Museum in the Old Town of Hebron, which is
considered an architectural icon and a major monument in the World Heritage Property of the “Old Town of Hebron”.
The Interpretive Museum – Old Town of Hebron
The museum is located within a prominent historical building at the entrance of the Old Town, distinguished by its unique
architectural style and embodying a complete collection of heritage values. Its historical significance dates back to the British
Mandate in Palestine (1917-1948), an architecturally significant period in Palestine that saw the entry of modern construction
materials and methods, making the building an architectural model reflecting the features of that era. It is also prominent in
aesthetic value, which is manifested in its architectural style and diverse elements of ornamentation visible on its walls and
main entrance, in addition to its internal elements such as colorful decorated tiles, unique wooden features, and window
specifications like wooden frames and stained glass. In addition, the building has a social and economic significance represented
in the historical events relating to it, and its different uses throughout various ages. All these values assure the outstanding
significance of this building and the importance of preserving it, and from here, the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee restored
the building and utilized it as the Interpretive Museum that reflects the civilization of the Old Town of Hebron and its culture in
the broader Palestinian context.
The museum today operates under the supervision of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee since 20211
, playing an active role
as a cultural institute that seeks to transmit the city’s history and culture to local and international visitors through interpretive
materials, archaeological artifacts, exhibitions and culture education programs. Its exhibits include history, architecture and
traditional crafts, displayed via images, video recordings and interpretive exhibition media, in addition to hosting a group of
archaeological artifacts and materials that represent the different historical phases of the city’s history.
Part of the archaeological artifacts in the interpretive museum
On March 4th 2026, at around 3:00am, an Israeli force raided the interpretive museum through the rooftops of neighboring
residential buildings – where it stormed the buildings and broke through the door leading to the rooftop. During the raid,
soldiers brought in mattresses and occupied the building for a period of time, converting it into a temporary military outpost,
without any legal justification. 24 hours later, the force withdrew from the museum after confiscating the keys to the facility,
which constitutes a dangerous violation of the site’s sanctity and safety, threatening possible material damages and theft,
sabotage, destruction or loss of its artifacts. The closure of the museum has also deprived the local community and visitors from
reaching this important cultural and educational monument.
Images showing parts of the raid on the interpretive museum by the Israeli occupation forces from inside
The raid and closure of the museum resulted in many negative consequences that threaten the historical building and its
archaeological acquisitions, the local community and visitors, and the administration of the site in general. The museum’s
proximity to a number of Israeli occupation settlements forms an additional threat, as the building could be seized to facilitate
the expansion of these settlements (Attachment (1)). The raid exposes the building to material damages and gravely endangers
archaeologicalartifacts, threatening their destruction, shatter, theft or loss. Moreover, its closure deprives the local community
and visitors from reaching it, undermining its role as a center for cultural and educational consciousness. This condition also
disrupts the daily management of this World Heritage Property, as the museum is located at the entrance to the Old Town and
along its main tourist route.
Thus, this assault constitutes a flagrant violation of the binding international agreements, at the forefront of which are the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Hague Convention of 1954 regarding to the protection of cultural acquisitions in
the case of disarmament, and the UNESCO agreements of 1970 and 1972 regarding the protection of cultural and natural
heritage. It also constitutes a violation of the obligations of protecting shared human heritage, as the Old Town of Hebron is
enlisted in the World Heritage in Danger List since 2017.
The Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Palestine) calls on the international community, UNESCO, World
Heritage Centre, ICOMOS International, and the global diplomatic system to assume their legal and moral responsibilities
towards Palestinian heritage sites, at the forefront of which are museums, considering them institutes that preserve collective
memory and civilizational identity. It calls for an urgent intervention for the cessation of violations by the Israeli occupation
against the interpretive museum, provision of international protection for the building and the archaeological artifacts it
contains, and standing in opposition against the occupation’s schemes of Judaizing and seizing it. The Association assures that
the continuation of these violations constitutes a direct threat to Palestinian cultural identity – an indivisible part of
humanitarian identity – and undermines the system protecting and managing it. Thus, it holds the occupation authorities fully
responsible for any possible damages on the museum and its artifacts, and calls on international and legal institutes to take
deterrent procedures that guarantee the protection of this monument, preserving it intact for future generations.
Statement of Condemnation and Warning issued by the Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) regarding the raid on the Old Hebron Museum
The Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Palestine) expresses its strong condemnation of the continuous
assaults and deliberate targeting by the Israeli occupation forces on Palestinian museums through repeated raids and partial or
total destruction, in addition to looting them and plundering their architectural possessions and heritage acquisitions. This
comes within the context of Judaization schemes and attempts to erase cultural identity as part of a systematic policy of erasure
and extermination of Palestinian cultural heritage.
Since the 7th of October 2023, Palestinian museums in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip have witnessed a fierce
aggression by Israeli occupation authorities in the form of multiple assaults and Judaization schemes. The last of these
continuous assaults was the occupation authorities’ raid on the Old Hebron Museum in the Old Town of Hebron, which is
considered an architectural icon and a major monument in the World Heritage Property of the “Old Town of Hebron”.
The Interpretive Museum – Old Town of Hebron
The museum is located within a prominent historical building at the entrance of the Old Town, distinguished by its unique
architectural style and embodying a complete collection of heritage values. Its historical significance dates back to the British
Mandate in Palestine (1917-1948), an architecturally significant period in Palestine that saw the entry of modern construction
materials and methods, making the building an architectural model reflecting the features of that era. It is also prominent in
aesthetic value, which is manifested in its architectural style and diverse elements of ornamentation visible on its walls and
main entrance, in addition to its internal elements such as colorful decorated tiles, unique wooden features, and window
specifications like wooden frames and stained glass. In addition, the building has a social and economic significance represented
in the historical events relating to it, and its different uses throughout various ages. All these values assure the outstanding
significance of this building and the importance of preserving it, and from here, the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee restored
the building and utilized it as the Interpretive Museum that reflects the civilization of the Old Town of Hebron and its culture in
the broader Palestinian context.
The museum today operates under the supervision of the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee since 20211
, playing an active role
as a cultural institute that seeks to transmit the city’s history and culture to local and international visitors through interpretive
materials, archaeological artifacts, exhibitions and culture education programs. Its exhibits include history, architecture and
traditional crafts, displayed via images, video recordings and interpretive exhibition media, in addition to hosting a group of
archaeological artifacts and materials that represent the different historical phases of the city’s history.
Part of the archaeological artifacts in the interpretive museum
https://www.facebook.com/p/%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84-
%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-Old-Hebron-Museum-100075684947930/
Local and international visitations to the museum
On March 4th 2026, at around 3:00am, an Israeli force raided the interpretive museum through the rooftops of neighboring
residential buildings – where it stormed the buildings and broke through the door leading to the rooftop. During the raid,
soldiers brought in mattresses and occupied the building for a period of time, converting it into a temporary military outpost,
without any legal justification. 24 hours later, the force withdrew from the museum after confiscating the keys to the facility,
which constitutes a dangerous violation of the site’s sanctity and safety, threatening possible material damages and theft,
sabotage, destruction or loss of its artifacts. The closure of the museum has also deprived the local community and visitors from
reaching this important cultural and educational monument.
Images showing parts of the raid on the interpretive museum by the Israeli occupation forces from inside
The raid and closure of the museum resulted in many negative consequences that threaten the historical building and its
archaeological acquisitions, the local community and visitors, and the administration of the site in general. The museum’s
proximity to a number of Israeli occupation settlements forms an additional threat, as the building could be seized to facilitate
the expansion of these settlements (Attachment (1)). The raid exposes the building to material damages and gravely endangers
archaeologicalartifacts, threatening their destruction, shatter, theft or loss. Moreover, its closure deprives the local community
and visitors from reaching it, undermining its role as a center for cultural and educational consciousness. This condition also
disrupts the daily management of this World Heritage Property, as the museum is located at the entrance to the Old Town and
along its main tourist route.
Thus, this assault constitutes a flagrant violation of the binding international agreements, at the forefront of which are the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Hague Convention of 1954 regarding to the protection of cultural acquisitions in
the case of disarmament, and the UNESCO agreements of 1970 and 1972 regarding the protection of cultural and natural
heritage. It also constitutes a violation of the obligations of protecting shared human heritage, as the Old Town of Hebron is
enlisted in the World Heritage in Danger List since 2017.
The Palestine Association on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Palestine) calls on the international community, UNESCO, World
Heritage Centre, ICOMOS International, and the global diplomatic system to assume their legal and moral responsibilities
towards Palestinian heritage sites, at the forefront of which are museums, considering them institutes that preserve collective
memory and civilizational identity. It calls for an urgent intervention for the cessation of violations by the Israeli occupation
against the interpretive museum, provision of international protection for the building and the archaeological artifacts it
contains, and standing in opposition against the occupation’s schemes of Judaizing and seizing it. The Association assures that
the continuation of these violations constitutes a direct threat to Palestinian cultural identity – an indivisible part of
humanitarian identity – and undermines the system protecting and managing it. Thus, it holds the occupation authorities fully
responsible for any possible damages on the museum and its artifacts, and calls on international and legal institutes to take
deterrent procedures that guarantee the protection of this monument, preserving it intact for future generations.