Considered the "oldest city in the world," Jericho is most commonly known for its Biblical history. The book of Joshua describes how the Children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land and then encircled Jericho for six days, according to the commandment of God. On the seventh day, they circled the city seven times, blew the trumpets (shofars) and the walls came down.

"On Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest days of the Jewish year, UNESCO passed a resolution recognizing as a Palestinian heritage site, the ancient city of Jericho—and at the same time, erasing all references to the city's ancient Jewish and Biblical history," Prof. Eugene Kontorovich at George Mason University Scalia Law School told CBN News.

Israeli Foreign Ministry officials were quoted as saying they "see the decision as another sign of the Palestinians' cynical use of UNESCO and the politicization of the organization."

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the UNESCO decision to recognize Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan as their heritage site.

It's not the first time UNESCO has declared a Biblical site as part of the Palestinian Authority. In 2018, the UN body declared Rachel's Tomb, revered as the burial place of the Biblical wife of Jacob in Bethlehem, and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives are buried, as "an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian territory." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

For more on what's behind this decision, Click Here to Watch CBN News' interview with Kontorovich.

Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East.

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

Dangerous Test Still Ahead for Artemis II Crew

Rescued Pilot Chooses to Praise God

175,000 Bottles of Blood Pressure Drugs Recalled Over Carcinogens, FDA Says

Disheartening: Iryna Zarutska's Killer Found Incompetent to Stand Trial

Vice President Vance's Team Investigating Fraud Probes $6.3 Billion in Federal Contracts

As Fragile Ceasefire Holds, JD Vance to Lead US-Iran Weekend Negotiations in Pakistan

FBI Arrests Former Army Special Operations Employee for Leaking Classified National Defense Information to Media

TobyMac and Mandisa's Music Wake Up Artemis Astronauts on Day 6 of Their Journey

Chick-Fil-A Employee Reluctantly Accepts Reward after Finding Nearly $10,000 in Cash And Turning It in: 'True Integrity Is Doing the Right Thing When No One Is Watching'

Pastor Combats 'Incredibly Dark' NYC Chaos With BOLD Plan; and Sees Miracles

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Combat Terrorist Groups and Ban Sharia Law in Florida

ICE Arrests 13 Illegals after Firefighter's Tip on 'Unusual Amount' of People—Including Truck Drivers—at Pennsylvania DMV; Some in Line from China, Pakistan

CNN Fell for Fake Iran 'Victory' Claim, and Trump Destroyed Them for It

American Journalist Shelly Kittleson Released from Captivity

Fragile Ceasefire Violated by Iran: Reopened Strait of Hormuz, Now 'Closed' Once Again

Artemis II Mission Around the Moon Reminds All of Us to Look Up

Chick-fil-A Urges Families to Put Down Phones at the Dinner Table; You'll Get Free Ice Cream

Don't Be Fooled: Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Pills Look Just Like the Real Ones

Anti-ICE Activists Target Minnesota Church Again on Easter Sunday

Finnish Study Links Transgender Procedures to Decline in Youth Mental Health