The latest attack came Friday morning, when the committee voted 12-3, with six abstentions, to declare Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs as an "endangered Palestinian heritage site." The vote was sought from the Palestinian Authority through several of the committee's many Muslim-majority members.

Also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the cave is identified in the Bible as the burial site of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah. Some Orthodox Jews also consider it the burial place of Adam and Eve.

But, to Muslims, it is referred to as Ibrahimi Mosque, or the Sanctuary of Abraham. It is located in Hebron's Old City in the Judean Mountains. That area is considered "occupied" Palestinian lands by the UN after it was won by Israel during the Six Day War.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon blasted the decision:

"UNESCO's attempt to sever the ties between Israel and Hebron is shameful and offensive. This is an ugly display of discrimination and an act of aggression against the Jewish people. No UN agency can disassociate our people from the burial grounds of our patriarchs and matriarchs."

Ironically, despite declaring it a Palestinian heritage site, the World Heritage Committee's inscription recognizes its importance to Christians and Jews, as well:

The use of a local limestone shaped the construction of the old town of Hebron / Al-Khalil during the Mamluk period between 1250 and 1517. The center of interest of the town was the site of Al mosque-Ibrahim / the tomb of the Patriarchs whose buildings are in a compound built in the 1st century AD to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham / Ibrahim and his family. This place became a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The town was sited at the crossroads of trade routes for caravans travelling between southern Palestine, Sinai, Eastern Jordan, and the north of the Arabian Peninsula. Although the subsequent Ottoman Period (1517-1917) heralded an extension of the town to the surrounding areas and brought numerous architectural additions, particularly the raising of the roof level of houses to provide more upper stories, the overall Mamluk morphology of the town is seen to have persisted with its hierarchy of areas, quarters based on ethnic, religious or professional groupings, and houses with groups of rooms organized according to a tree-shaped system.

The cave is beneath what was originally a Jewish structure built during the reign of King Herod roughly 2,000 years ago. Following the Muslim conquest of Israel, Saladin converted the structure into a mosque. It is the oldest continuously used intact prayer site in the world.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

MOVIEGUIDE's Review of the New Animated Film: DAVID

Massachusetts Drops Controversial Gender Ideology Mandate for Licensing Foster Care Parents

Nearly 40% of Women Suffer Severe Grief for Years after Abortion, Miscarriage: Study

Former Pfizer Vice President: COVID Shots Were 'Designed to Cause Injury,' Reduce Fertility

Dutch Sheets Shares a Warning from the US National Counterterrorism Center

Venezuela: Trump's Pressure Campaign and Maduro's Fury

President Trump Charts Accomplishments and Previews Future Policies during His Primetime Address

Secretary Hegseth and Franklin Graham Preach Gospel at Pentagon Christmas Service: 'Jesus Took Our Shame'

'Unsafe, Needless, Irreversible': HHS Sec. Kennedy Takes Sweeping Action to Reverse Biden-Era Policies on So-Called 'Gender Affirming Care'

Hobby Lobby Giving Away Half a Million Copies of Book Defending Biblical Christmas Story [Video]

Geothermal Blind Power Site Discovered in Nevada

Black Lives Matter Leader Indicted on Dozens of Federal Fraud Charges

DC Police Chief Forced Staff to Underreport Crime Counts, Subordinates Testify to House Oversight

'Shocking New Docs' Show Biden's DOJ Pressured FBI to Raid Mar-a-Lago, Says Grassley

Rob Reiner's Son Arrested In Connection With Brutal Slayings, Bail Set At $4 Million

Still No Suspect in Murder of Jewish MIT Professor

After Bondi Beach, the West Must Directly Confront Jihadism, Experts Say

'Chile Has Defeated Communism Today': José Antonio Kast Wins Presidential Race in Conservative Landslide

'He Takes My Breath Away': a Christmas Season Story from Give Him 15

President Trump Classifying Fentanyl as 'Weapon of Mass Destruction'