Cultural Property - paving our way to tolerance

The Gaza Strip is a relatively small territory of around 360 square kilometres and has an enormously diverse cultural heritage as numerous peoples have made it their home over the millenia.  

The Levant, the area comprising the Eastern Mediterranean, has been variously ruled by the Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans, all of whom have left their cultural mark.

When rule by the Ottoman Empire ended in the early 20th Century, the Gaza area came under British rule as part of the League of Nations mandate of Palestine. 

The League of Nations mandate ended in 1947 and was replaced by the United Nations General Assembly (UN) plan for the Arab-Jewish partition of Palestine under which the town of Gaza and an area of surrounding territory was to be allotted to the Arabs. 

The British declined to enforce the partition plan and withdrew on May 15, 1948. On that same day the first Arab-Israeli war began. 

Today we watch in dismay at the most recent iteration of armed conflict in the region.

Protecting people and preserving cultural heritage are mutual obligations for the International Community. 

The right to access and enjoy cultural heritage is guaranteed under International Human Rights Law, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

These rights include the right to learn about, visit, make use of, maintain, exchange and develop cultural heritage.

Given the scale of horror experienced by those trapped in Gaza, for the many thousands of innocents that have already perished, it would not be unreasonable to question the validity of these rights in the face of such misery and suffering.  

So what does heritage mean to society and why does International Law strive to protect it? 

Heritage gives us a sense of place, of belonging and identity. Our cultures support our feeling of well-being, dignity and pride. Our cultural heritage is the expression of that identity. 

It is a repository for cultural memory, our ancestral gift and our legacy; it is an important part of who we are and what we identify with, as individuals and communities.

The destruction of cultural heritage is a feature of armed conflict where combatants attempt to first overwhelm then subsume the enemy. To the victor the spoils. 

Loss of cultural identity is devastating for a society. Historic documents, artefacts, works of art, literature, architecture - this cultural property determines what is remembered and provides social capital which benefits communities with increased civic engagement, health and sense of well-being.

Cultural property moors us to our past and helps us navigate towards our futures - it defines us. Moreover, it allows us to understand others through exposure to and appreciation of foreign cultures. 

Through a well-defined sense of self, cultural property affords societies the opportunity to become more tolerant of other civilisations.