UNESCO needs to stick to mission
UNESCO, the United Nations organization supposedly in charge of education, science and culture, has passed many insane resolutions in the past. But its latest vote to essentially deny Jewish and Christian ties to Jerusalem has reached new heights of political madness. Fortunately, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNESCO’s own director Irina Bokova and other top U.N. officials have distanced themselves from the Oct. 13 Palestinian-backed resolution, which effectively denies Judaism and Christianity’s connections to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and its Western Wall. The resolution, titled “Occupied Palestine,” condemns a long list of alleged Israeli actions against Palestinians. But while much of this has been part of UNESCO’s standard language since it admitted Palestine as a member state in 2011, this year’s text refers to Judaism and Christianity’s holiest sites exclusively by their Arabic names, casting doubts about their ties to any religion other than Islam. The resolution was passed with 24 votes in favor, including Iran and Sudan, and six against, including the United States, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. After the vote, U.N. Secretary-General Ban issued a statement saying that he “reaffirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions and stresses the importance of the religious and historical link of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian peoples to the holy site.” The statement added that “any perceived undertaking to repudiate the undeniable common reverence for these sites does not serve the interests of peace and will only feed violence and radicalism.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the UNESCO resolution a “delusional decision.” He added: “To declare that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or that Egypt has no connection to the Pyramids.” UNESCO is already in deep financial trouble because of its extremist positions. The United States withdrew its $80 million annual contribution to UNESCO following the organization’s admission of Palestine as a member state. And Japan, UNESCO’S second-largest contributor, announced last week it is suspending its dues this year, apparently angry over UNESCO’s decision to list China’s Rape of Nanking documents about Japan’s 1937 massacre as a memory of the world. My opinion: Palestinians have the right to demand their own state alongside Israel, but they are discrediting their own cause by trying to re-write 3,000 years of history in such a ridiculous manner. And UNESCO has added to its growing reputation as an international joke. Instead of being a hotbed of extremism and passing political resolutions, it should stick to its mission of enhancing education, science and culture around the world.