Israel destroying the past to dominate the future

There is an old saying that states it is the victors that write history. But in Gaza and parts of Lebanon, Israel appears determined to do something even more sinister: destroy history before anyone can write it.

For nearly three years, the world has watched the systematic devastation of Gaza. Entire neighborhoods have vanished beneath mountains of concrete. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or displaced. Hospitals, schools, universities, places of worship and essential infrastructure have been reduced to rubble. Yet, amid this human catastrophe, another crime has received far less attention — the destruction of a people’s cultural and archaeological heritage.

When ancient mosques collapse under bombardment, when centuries-old churches are damaged, when museums are emptied, when archaeological sites disappear and when historic marketplaces are erased, the destruction cannot simply be viewed through the narrow lens of military necessity. It raises profound moral, legal and historical questions.

A nation is not defined solely by its borders. It is defined by its memory. That memory lives in ancient stones, sacred buildings, manuscripts, monuments, archaeological sites and places that connect one generation to another. Destroy them and you do more than demolish buildings — you attempt to sever a people’s connection to their own past.

As of March, UNESCO had verified damage to 164 cultural properties in Gaza since October 2023. The list is staggering: historic mosques, churches, archaeological sites, museums, cemeteries and centuries-old buildings that formed part of one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited regions. These are not simply Palestinian treasures. They are part of humanity’s shared heritage. Their destruction impoverishes the entire world.

Israel insists that it targets military infrastructure and that any damage to cultural sites is incidental to operations against armed groups. That claim deserves legal scrutiny and independent investigation wherever cultural heritage has been damaged. But regardless of intent, the cumulative destruction is impossible to ignore. When the scale of devastation reaches this magnitude, the international community cannot simply dismiss it as unfortunate collateral damage.

The same disturbing pattern has emerged in Lebanon. Historic neighborhoods, archaeological sites, religious landmarks and ancient structures in the south of the country have also suffered significant damage during Israeli military operations. Lebanese authorities have accused Israel of targeting elements of the country’s cultural heritage, while UNESCO has expressed concern over damage affecting historically significant sites.

This is about more than military campaigns. It is about identity. History has always been central to the conflict in the Middle East. Competing narratives about who belongs, who came first and who possesses historical legitimacy have shaped politics for generations. That is precisely why cultural heritage deserves extraordinary protection. It should never become another casualty of geopolitical ambition.

When archaeological sites disappear, future generations lose the physical evidence of civilizations that existed long before modern borders were drawn. Every destroyed monument narrows humanity’s understanding of its own history.

The international legal framework is unambiguous. The 1954 Hague Convention obliges parties to armed conflict to protect cultural property whenever possible. These protections exist because the world learned, through the devastation of previous wars, that attacking history is an attack on civilization itself.

Yet outrage has often been selective. The destruction of cultural heritage elsewhere has prompted immediate international condemnation, emergency preservation missions and urgent diplomatic action. In Gaza, however, many governments have limited themselves to expressions of concern while one of the richest historical landscapes in the Eastern Mediterranean continues to disappear.

That inconsistency undermines the principles the international community claims to defend. No country should be granted immunity from international humanitarian law simply because it has powerful allies. If cultural heritage deserves protection in Europe, Asia or Africa, it deserves the same in Palestine and Lebanon. International law either applies equally or it loses much of its moral authority.

The tragedy extends beyond the present conflict. After the bombs stop dropping, Palestinians and Lebanese will attempt to rebuild their homes, schools and hospitals. They can, with time and resources, be reconstructed.

Cultural heritage deserves protection. It should never become another casualty of geopolitical ambition.

Hani Hazaimeh

But no engineer can recreate an authentic Byzantine mosaic shattered by an airstrike. No architect can reproduce centuries of accumulated history embedded in medieval stone walls. No reconstruction project can restore the original character of an archaeological site once it has been obliterated.

Perhaps that is why the destruction of cultural heritage should alarm us as much as the destruction of physical infrastructure. Roads can be rebuilt. Power stations repaired. Buildings reconstructed. History cannot.

The international community must stop treating attacks on cultural heritage as secondary to the broader conflict. They are not. They strike at the heart of a people’s identity and erase chapters of human civilization that belong to us all.

If the world is serious about preserving humanity’s common heritage, it must demand independent investigations into damage to cultural sites, accountability where international law has been violated and meaningful protection for what remains. Because when history is buried beneath rubble, the loss is not only Palestinian or Lebanese. It is humanity’s.

• Hani Hazaimeh is a senior editor based in Amman. X: @hanihazaimeh