Jerusalem (CNN) Israel has slammed a vote by UNESCO declaring the Old City of Hebron an endangered Palestinian World Heritage site, pledging to reduce its funding to the UN.

Hebron's Old City is home to one of the region's most contested places: the Cave of the Patriarchs, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque. It is regarded as sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

The decision by the UN's cultural agency, at a meeting in Poland by secret ballot, saw 12 countries vote in favor, with three against and six abstentions.

Israel has accused UNESCO of making a politically motivated move, part of what it says is an attempt to deny the Jewish character and heritage of certain key sites in the Holy Land.

Israeli Government Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the right wing Jewish Home Party, called it a "disgraceful vote."

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