CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY ON WORLD HERITAGE LIST

A statement made by the UN organization says that it is planning to put the Church of the Nativiy in Bethlehem on its prestigious list at its St.Petersburg meeting between June 26 and July 6.

The statement says further that the Church of the Nativity in Palestine which became a member of the organization in October 2011 and later accepted the World Heritage List is going to be represented on the list for the first time.

The Church of the Nativity believed to have been built where Jesus Christ was born is one of the places in Palestine drawing the most tourists. 1 million 500 thousand people in 2010 and about 2 million in 2011 visited the Church of the Nativity .

Palestine became the 195th member of UNESCO but criticism from the US and Israel with Washington finally cutting its contribution to the organization.