UN used anti-Israel Temple Mount name in resolution, Israel withdraws cooperation after ‘shameful’ move
Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday after the U.N. cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem. The resolution titled “Occupied Palestine” and sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for the Temple Mount, which includes the Western Wall.
In fact, the resolution is so pro-Islam, the name Al-Buraq Plaza is listed without quotations, but the site’s Jewish name, the Western Wall Plaza, is in inverted commas.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO of Israel’s decision on Friday.
“Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization,” Bennett said.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was “outraged” by the resolution. “Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality.”
UNESCO chief Irina Bokova expressed dismay with the draft resolution, which came from member states, saying that “different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the resolution “absurd” after it was announced and on Friday tweeted: “What’s next? A UNESCO decision denying the connection between peanut butter and jelly? Batman and Robin? Rock and roll?”
Israel captured east Jerusalem, with sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state, and its fate is one of the most contentious issues in the decades-old conflict.
Israeli flag photo/ Heather Truett via pixabay
