Battir is the name of a very green and deep valley between Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the name of the village that is testimony to the history of this much-divided area.

This is the greenest valley, thanks to the abundant availability of water.

The action taken by Unesco to recognise it as an emergency World Heritage Site prompted the Israeli Supreme Court to block the planned construction of the infamous separation wall right in the middle of the valley earlier this year.

This was an unfrequented move by the court and a very strong success for Unesco.

The very strong and visible division of the land between Israel and Palestine has created tremendous problems for those seeking to protect its enormous wealth of archaeology, cultural landscape and architecture.

These conflicts are exemplified by the situation of Battir.

It is a small but historically important village and yet its importance stretches further because of the incredible and vast valley, which is well irrigated through a very unique irrigation system.

For many generations this ‘Garden of Jerusalem’ was the main supplier of vegetables and fruits to the holy city and beyond.

The terraced fields have always been and still are the provider of many vegetables and fruits, especially olives and grapes.

Spring water flows into pools, known as the Roman pools, which are managed and protected by the eight main families of the village who still use an antique system to distribute the water down to the valley’s terraced fields.

The system provides for a daily check of the water level in the pool. Each family member then in turn divides the water level into eight ‘days’ that ensures that seven families get the same amount of water each day while the eighth family, in turn, gets an extra day of water supply.

Each of the eight families therefore gets a double supply of water every eight days.

This management system, still in place and using a locally grown rod to divide the water level, has always been respected and has always worked. There are no conflicts at all between the families.

The village’s peaceful existence was upset when the Israeli military planned to build a wall right though the valley

The Palestinian farmers work their side of the valley all along the valley and have traditionally also been allowed to cross the train line that divides the two deep sides of the valley, one Palestinian and the other Israeli.

The Palestinians own land in the Israeli side of the valley. An Israeli train runs through the valley every hour – yet there has never been any conflict over it.

No attacks on the train have ever been recorded as the people of Battir know how delicate the political situation is.

This peaceful co-existence – to a point as the Israeli military still regularly enter the Palestinian territory – was upset when the Israeli military planned to build the wall right in the middle of the valley; presumably to protect the train but more clearly to protect the ever-advancing Israeli settlements on the top of their side of the valley.

The village council of Battir initiated a court case to stop the construction of the wall.

For the first time in history, the Israeli Nature and Park Authority, recognising the unique character of this cultural landscape, supported the petition against it.

The court case dragged on for many months. The Israeli army insisted that the wall was necessary to protect the train.

The nature and parks authority contended that any structure dividing the valley would ruin its natural beauty.

The Israeli army then tried to propose that instead of the wall, they would build a fence, but even this would require two service roads for vehicles on both sides.

Last year the Palestinian authority presented an emergency dossier to the Unesco World Heritage Committee that met in Doha.

Despite the very strong lobbying by Israel and other countries, Battir was granted World Heritage status.

In January, the Israeli High Court of Justice dismissed without prejudice the petition against construction of the West Bank barrier route section that would pass through the village’s agricultural terraces, after the Israeli Defence Ministry declared that the barrier was not a priority.

The court, in its decision, cited the Unesco recognition of Battir as World Heritage to further insist that nothing should be done in the valley without advising the village at least 60 days in advance to give them time to present legal proceedings.

So the court, without ruling out completely the wall’s construction in future, froze the possibility for many years ­– if not forever.

This has been a very rare occasion when a Unesco decision has managed to stop, or at least delay, action that would ruin what is considered to be the area’s most authentic and integral green cultural landscape.

Tensions in the area are still very high and will remain so , but at least the villagers of Battir can continue to till their lands, plant vegetables and fruits in their landscaped terraces and manage the water system as they have done so for hundreds of years.

It is difficult to get to Battir even though it is just o the other side of an Israeli highway from the villages surrounding Bethlehem.

The Palestinians cannot use the highway but have to use local roads. The new Israeli settlements are getting closer and closer to the valley overlooking Battir. Villagers are well aware of the logistical and political difficulties yet they are determined to make a success story out of Battir.

Already, tourists have started to discover this beautiful valley.

There is now a guest house, an Eco Museum and heritage trails, mostly funded by the EU and Italy.

Unesco plays a very active role in protecting Palestinian heritage. In fact, the dossier for World Heritage nomination that I had the honour to supervise was prepared with the assistance of Unesco.

The case of Battir has also shown that, on a local level, Palestinians and Israelis can work together to protect their heritage.