The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines intangible cultural heritage () elements as non-physical traditions and practices performed by a people. As part of a country's cultural heritage, they include celebrations, festivals, performances, oral traditions, music, and the making of handicrafts. The term intangible cultural heritage is formally established by the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was drafted in 2003 and took effect in 2006. The inscription of new heritage elements on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists for protection and safeguarding is determined by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, an organization established by the Convention. Palestine ratified the Convention on 8 December 2011. It has served on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee from 2016 to 2020.
Starting in 2008, Palestinian hikaye was the first practice from Palestine to be inscribed by UNESCO; Palestinian embroidery was inscribed in 2021. Joint inscriptions with other Arab countries for Arabic calligraphy and date palm cultivation and use were inscribed in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Four further practices have been nominated for inscription by Palestine: dabkeh in 2023 and Nabulsi soap-making in 2024; metal engraving, and henna, with other Arab states, in 2023 and 2024 respectively. In 2025, Arabic Kohl was inscribed in a transnational nomination. Palestine also maintains a national list, the National Register of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Palestine, which consisted of 18 items in 2017. National lists are required by the Convention for the further nomination of elements to the UNESCO lists.
, Palestine has two nomination for the Representative List: Oud instrument: practices, skills and performing arts (which is transnational) and Ka'ak Al-Quds, Jerusalem sesame bread. They are scheduled to be reviewed by the committee, during the twenty-first session in November or December 2026. In the same session, Henna, rituals, aesthetic and social practices may also be extended to include India as a state party. In addition, Palestine has three elements, all transnational, that are "pending priority '0' treatment", meaning that they will be reviewed as soon as possible, after the current round of nominations. These are the Arabian horses: breeding traditions and associated arts, Al sanbouk sailing boat: the craft and social traditions, and The Nabati Arabic poetry: an oral expressive art; all of which are nominated for inscription on the Representative List. Art et traditions de bâtir en terre was scheduled to be priority (ii), as a transnational nomination, but the nomination was technically incomplete and thus returned.
In 1993, in response to the Oslo Agreement, significant investment was made in the protection of Palestinian cultural heritage. Its subsequent inscription to the UNESCO lists has given international recognition to these practices. Nonetheless, researchers have argued that the intangible cultural heritage of Palestine has struggled to survive under Israeli occupation. This is particularly evident in the construction of internal borders prohibiting access to land, with the resultant effect of hindering traditional agricultural practices and the semi-nomadic way of life of some communities. Systemic cultural appropriation of Palestine's heritage has also been reported, such as the use of traditional Palestinian embroidery in Israeli fashion.
In some cases, Palestinian heritage has been destroyed by the occupying forces. For example, in the South Hebron Hills, Palestinian cave houses were confiscated by Israeli forces and the residents evicted. This disconnected young people in the area from their heritage; to reconnect to their identity they collected oral histories on the cave-based lifestyle. Support for intangible cultural heritage has also been proposed as a way to foster economic and environmental sustainability, for example in the village of Battir. For many Palestinians, continued connection with their cultural heritage serves as a form of resistance. Palestinian henna designs have had a resurgence in popularity, according to TRT World writing in 2023, with a focus on olive designs, amongst others, as an act of resistance for women.
Other forms of intangible cultural heritage which are not inscribed, or nominated for inscription, include coffee preparation, Maqluba, Palestinian architecture, Nabulsi cheese, oral testimony from the South Hebron Hills, traditional song, as well as food practices of dried yoghurt and grape syrup. On-going nominations of intangible cultural heritage include Ka'ak Al-Quds (Jerusalem sesame bread), Art and traditions of building with earth, and Oud instrument: practices, skills and performing arts, all scheduled for inscription in 2026. The traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of wild plant usage in Artas has been considered as another form of Palestinian intangible cultural heritage.
UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity consists of three lists: the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. Palestine only has elements inscribed on the Representative List.
This list aims to represent the intangible cultural heritage of Palestine worldwide and bring awareness to its significance.