Israel suspends cooperation with UNESCO over Jerusalem draft

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the UN cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem. UNESCO’s draft resolution, titled “Occupied Palestine” was sponsored by several Arab countries. The validated resolution is expected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change. Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. The draft resolution diminished the links to Judaism of two important holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City. The text refers to the site as Al-Haram Al-Sharif. The draft resolution refers to the Muslim site of Al-Buraq Plaza without quotations, but puts the site's Jewish name, the Western Wall Plaza, 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 Makkah? 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.” The spat is the latest in Israel›s rocky relations with UNESCO, which it accuses of making decisions out of political considerations. 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 in 1967. 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. Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. Muslims refer to it as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is the third holiest in Islam after Makkah and Madinah. Bokova condemned the religious and cultural divisions being played out in the UN body that was created in part to further cross-cultural understanding. “When these divisions carry over into UNESCO, an organization dedicated to dialogue and peace, they prevent us from carrying out our mission,” she said. Bokova has no official control over resolutions, which are sponsored and voted on by member states. Bennet, the Israeli minister, said Bokova›s comments were insufficient and urged the body to take action.