UNESCO disturbed about Israel birthright plan in West Bank

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PARIS (Reuters) - The United Nations" enlightenment and preparation physique pronounced on Friday it was endangered about Israel"s plan to rehabilitate Jewish eremite shrines in the assigned West Bank in a birthright program.

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The European Union unfamiliar process chief, Catherine Ashton, pronounced the Israeli preference could derail attempts to free assent talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pronounced he dictated to embody the Tomb of the Patriarchs and multiform alternative Jewish eremite shrines in domain Israel prisoner in a 1967 fight in a $107 million plan to revive Jewish birthright sites.

The preference has led to aroused Palestinian protests and drawn general criticism.

UNESCO pronounced that Director-General Irina Bokova "expressed her concern" at the proclamation that the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel"s Tomb would be enclosed in the plan. "She additionally voiced regard at the ensuing escalation of tragedy in the area," the matter said.

Ashton pronounced in a statement: "The High Representative regards the new preference by the Government of Israel... as unpropitious to attempts to relaunch assent negotiations. The European Union calls on Israel to give up from provocative acts." Palestinians are job the move an try to seize land and holy sites on Israeli-occupied land where they goal to set up a destiny state.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, that Muslims call al-Ibrahimi mosque, is dedicated to Jews and Muslims as the normal funeral place of biblical total Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.

Hebron and the tabernacle itself have prolonged been flashpoints of assault in the West Bank, domain Israel"s supervision calls by the biblical names Judea and Samaria.

(Reporting by Anna Willard; Additional stating by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels; Editing by Dominic Evans)

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