Resolution denying Jewish ties to Temple Mount approved
The draft angered Israeli officials last week who claim the resolution denies historical Jewish links to the ancient site
Unesco’s executive board has approved a resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem – and which has angered the country’s government and many Jews around the world.
The board adopted the measure by consensus in its morning session at the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
A draft form of the resolution had already been approved by a commission last week.
The resolution is not expected to have a direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within Unesco, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding.
The resolution, titled Occupied Palestine, is the latest of several measures at Unesco over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.
Israel’s concern has mounted since Unesco states admitted Palestine as a member in 2011.
Israel last week suspended its ties with Unesco over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims.
The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray.
Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City as the Temple Mount.
Muslims refer to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock.
It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Israel had already suspended its funding to Unesco when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22% of the agency’s budget.
The longstanding dispute is also linked to Israel’s refusal to grant visas to Unesco experts to go into the country and assess the level of preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem.
And now Japan, Unesco’s second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding.
Japan announced last week it has withheld its annual Unesco dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations.
The decision is believed to be linked to Unesco’s listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
