(24 Jun 2012) The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is at the centre of the latest disagreement between Palestinians and Israelis.
The Palestinians are aiming to obtain World Heritage status for the iconic Christian site - as the newest members of the United Nation's cultural arm.
Many believe this will boost their own campaign for legitimacy.
The effort by the Palestinian Authority, like its overall efforts for global recognition for an independent Palestinian state, is drawing resistance.
It may fail at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Saint Petersburg on Sunday.
A committee of experts has already turned down the emergency bid to quickly confer on the Church of the Nativity, and its pilgrimage route, the status as an endangered World Heritage site, saying the application needs more work.
Even custodians of the holy site, the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian churches are opposed, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
The church - which drew some two (m) million visitors last year and parts of which are 1,500 years old - stands above the grotto that Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus.
The World Heritage candidacy of the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage route is one way for the Palestinians to prove they are responsible stewards of the site which draws tourists from all over the world.
Negotiations with Israel on the terms of a Palestinian state have been frozen since 2008, mainly because the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have failed to reach enough common ground for meaningful talks.
Protecting the cultures of the world is among UNESCO's core missions and there is little doubt the Church of the Nativity - with a history of leaking problems from the roof - is in need of repair.
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