Palestine nominates birthplace of Jesus in controversial UNESCO World Heritage bid Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In Foreign Policy - June 19, 2012 - 12:00am Palestine, recognized last October as the 195th member state by the U.N. Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recently launched its first initiative as a full-fledged government in the Paris-based agency, nominating the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and a traditional pilgrimage route to be listed as an endangered site on the World Heritage List. » Read more