The National Association of Italian Municipalities has called for the Italian Foreign Minister Paulo Jantelaun to ask the Israeli authorities to stop excavation work and the building of new fence in Bethlehem, Anadolu reported on Thursday.
Italian national TV reported the mayor of the Italian city of Prato Mathieu Pefoni saying in a letter sent to Jantelaun: “I would like to draw your attention towards what is going on in Palestinian Bethlehem. The Israeli authorities are building a new fence and carrying out an excavation campaign.”
Pefoni said that the fence and new excavations “threaten the natural and cultural heritage of this area”.
The National Association of Italian Municipalities consists of 7,000 municipalities and includes more than 90 per cent of Italian residents.
Pefoni noted that the building of the fence started in May 2015 and the excavations started on 2 February 2015. Excavations are being carried out in an area which contains valuable remains of the Roman age.
He called the activities a “clear violation” of international agreements and law, warning that they were leading to “instability” in the already unstable region.
“In the light of the lack of final peace agreement, the Israeli occupation is obliged to protect the natural and cultural heritage of the future Palestinian state,” Pefoni said.