UNESCO to Decide on Palestine Resolution Opposed by «Israel»

Local Editor

The UN cultural agency will consider a resolution Tuesday on the occupied Palestinian territories which the "Israeli" entity believes ignores Jewish ties to religious sites in occupied east al-Quds [Jerusalem].

The "Israeli" entity suspended its cooperation with Paris-based UNESCO, which oversees World Heritage sites, over the controversial resolution which was proposed by Arab countries.

It refers to "Occupied Palestine" and is critical of the entity's management of Palestinian religious sites, but it is the names used to describe key sites that appear to have infuriated "Israel" the most.

It refers to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in east al-Qud's Old City only by its Muslim name. The site is known to Jews as the "Temple Mount".

Last Thursday, "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained that saying "‘Israel' has no connection to the ‘Temple Mount' and ‘Western Wall' is like saying China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or Egypt has no connection to the pyramids."

A second, less contentious, resolution also to be decided Tuesday deals with Gaza.

It is not the first time UNESCO has been the scene of tensions. Arab countries had sought to use the organization to apply international pressure on the "Israeli" entity and its backers before.

In April, it passed a resolution condemning "‘Israeli' aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to the al-Aqsa Mosque", also failing to mention the site's Jewish name of the "Temple Mount".

That led Netanyahu to propose a "seminar on Jewish history" for UN staff in the "Israeli" entity.

In 2011 the Palestinians were admitted as a member state of the organization, which led the United States to suspend its payments to UNESCO.

The latest resolutions created unease at the top of the organization, with Michael Worbs, who chairs UNESCO's executive board, saying he would have liked more time to work out a compromise.

"We need more time and dialogue between the members of the board to reach a consensus," he told AFP.

A UNESCO official said the organization had received threatening calls and messages on social media over the resolution dealing with east al-Quds.

UNESCO chief Irina Bokova distanced herself from the resolutions, saying in a statement: "Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space."

Participants said the two resolutions, adopted by 24 votes to six with 26 abstentions and two absentees, were to be put Tuesday to UNESCO's Executive Board, which generally votes with the line taken by committees.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team