Paul Calvert spoke with the director of The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation.

Issam: Yes. An important aspect of restoration is to restore according to the international criteria, because if you do it in the wrong way, you are destroying the building and not restoring it.

We have been participating in a lot of training sessions and workshops. We are now more familiar about the international criteria in the restoration and are trying to do our best to fulfil this criteria in all of the buildings that we restore. Sometimes we try to find the balance between what is the ideal standard of restoration and the need of the user of the building. Most of the time we are in favour of using the traditional way of restoration.

In some specific cases when there is an urgent and strong justification, we may compromise to secure the sustainability of the use of this building. For example some buildings, there is a need for toilets, and according to the international standard of renovation we should not add additions, but in some cases we are obliged to have some minor additions. We do this in a way that you can easily distinguish between these new additions and the old building.

Paul: Is cultural heritage important?

Issam: In Palestine and everywhere in the world it's important. In particular in Palestine it is more important than any other place in the world. We are living under occupation in hard circumstances, in a place where the identity is a subject of conflict in this area. As Palestinians our roots are here and cultural heritage is a proof that Palestinians have lived for a long time in this area, are still living here and have important cultural heritage that has outstanding universal value.

Paul: Bethlehem is on the World Heritage list. Is that important for Bethlehem?

Issam: Yes it is important. We have been working on that since 2005 and we only secured that in the year 2012. It is important because as Palestinians we have the right to protect our cultural heritage. We have the right of the international community recognising that cultural heritage and the right to protect cultural heritage that belongs to all humanity.

I remember the first time we submitted the file of Bethlehem, that was in the year 2011 and it was rejected. Why? Because we have not been a State party for the UNESCO agreement. At that time the important question was, what is the value of the World Heritage list if it does not protect and recognise an important site such as the Church of the Nativity, which is important for the majority of humanity?

Paul: It must be nice for you to walk around Bethlehem and see areas renovated and looking good.

Issam: Yes, I feel proud to see this as a Palestinian. I feel proud to see any traditional building that is being restored. In the beginning of the 90's these people were not in favour of restoring these houses. A lot of projects have demolished their building and constructed a new building instead. Now people are more aware, and have recognised the cultural value of these buildings, and how these buildings represent the dignity of the nation. This built up cultural heritage is something which represents our skills in the building technology, our development as a nation in the building technique that has been dominant 100 years ago before the occupation took place in Palestine.

Paul: What is your prayer for the future of Bethlehem and these houses?

Issam: We do hope that peace will take place in this beautiful town. More than 2000 years ago Jesus Christ has spread from Bethlehem the message of peace to the whole world. Today Bethlehem is searching for that peace. I hope that we can have peace one day because it is better for the future of our new generation. As Palestinian and a new generation of Israeli, we would like to live in peace side by side.