The UNESCO Jerusalem Vote and Ramifications

Temple Mount and Western Wall during Shabbat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It would be a good idea to read the full text of the revised UNESCO Resolution on “Occupied Palestine” before arriving at conclusions that are at most not objective on both sides of the great divide between Israel and the Palestinians. Emotional hubris is not constructive to both sides and in order to be rational we must become more knowledgeable in what is involved.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

. Set up for peaceful purposes to promote intercultural dialogue, has been misused for political purposes.

The tone of the plan is biased towards Israel, which is viewed as the “occupying power” and is not carrying out its obligations towards the maintenance of the “holy places” to which it claims to be a signatory. Israel. According to the resolution Israel is abusing its power as an “occupier” towards the Palestinian population by restricting the “occupied” Palestinians the rights to pray in the Al Aqsa Mosque. The resolution continues its claims of Israel’s abuse of power. This, of course, can be disputed, taking into consideration the increase of Palestinian terror against innocent people, who happen to be in the area. The resolution is far from balanced as it does not condemn Palestinian violence and terror, which has widespread support of the Palestinian Leadership, especially Hamas that has given verbal and written support to lone wolf stabbing attacks against innocent Israelis, non-Israelis as well as Arab Israelis.  

Having read the text of this UNESCO resolution, there is no evidence denying the Jewish Link to the Temple Mount or re-writing history of the Jewish link to the Western Wall.

“3. Affirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions, also affirming that nothing in the current decision, which aims, inter alia, at the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of Palestine and the distinctive character of East Jerusalem, shall in any way affect the relevant Security Council and United Nations resolutions and decisions on the legal status of Palestine and Jerusalem”.

“35. Reaffirms that the two concerned sites located in Al-Khalil/Hebron and in Bethlehem are an integral part of Palestine;

36. Shares the conviction affirmed by the international community that the two sites are of religious significance for Judaism, Christianity and Islam”. Does this negate the Jewish link to Jerusalem?

The use of Arabic names for the various sites rather than Jewish names is a bone of contention but certainly does not negate the link of these sites to Judaism. It is an attempt by the Netanyahu Government to make political capital over a matter that is non-existent.

Even on the Palestinian side there is a tendency to interpret this resolution incorrectly to suit their own narrative which is based on fantasies and not on history. After all each side has a narrative. Palestinian narratives do not correspond to historical facts. The narratives are based on justifying Palestinian political agendas. Scientific archeological finds and the correct methodology on interpreting historical facts does prove that the connection of Jews to Jerusalem is indisputable. The resolution passed does not dispute that at all.

The resolution was supported by 24 votes to 6, with 26 abstentions, in Paris on October 13, 2016.

Voting in favor were: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Vietnam.

Voting against were: Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States.

Abstaining were: Albania, Argentina, Cameroon, El Salvador, France, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, India, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and Nevis, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Ukraine.

Absent were: Serbia and Turkmenistan.

The message of those voting in favor of this resolution, is not a denial of the Jewish religious connection to Jerusalem over centuries, but rather a vote condemning the occupation of Jerusalem by Israel since June 1967. This includes Israel determining who will be responsible for the non-Jewish holy places.

Of course, the UNESCO members have been manipulated by the Palestinian representatives in the UN, who are making political capital out of this resolution. The resolution does by innuendo allow Palestinians to carry on their violence and murderous deeds against innocent people by weakening Israel’s role in maintaining law and order on the Temple Mount.

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It is significant to note that UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova spoke out Friday 14th Oct 2016 in support of Israel and against the 24-6 vote of her organization’s Executive Board took the day before to approve a resolution that spoke of the Temple Mount and its Western Wall as a purely Muslim religious site.

The chair of UNESCO’s Executive Board, Michael Worbs, said Friday he was sorry about the resolution ignoring Jewish ties to Jerusalem’s holy sites that was passed by UNESCO on Thursday and that is set to be approved by his executive board next week. “It’s very exceptional what happened yesterday, and I’m sorry for that,” Worbs told Israeli television. The fact that senior officials in UNESCO have expressed disapproval of these resolutions gives a much needed sense of balance to this political hubris.

IS (Daesh, Radical Islam) and Nazism

Al Aqsa in Jerusalem ‪Norsk (bokmål)‬: Al-Aqsa Moskeen i Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Radical Islam is composed of numerous terrorist groups. Al Qaeda, Daesh (IS), Hamas - yes - Hamas, (contrary to what the usual double standard hypocritical left “humanists” believe, They are not freedom fighters for human rights, democracy and transparency let alone a democratic Palestinian State alongside Israel), Boko Haram in Nigeria and many other splinter radical Islamic groups too numerous to mention, springing up like mushrooms after a rainy, winter day. All these radical Islamic groups have more in common with Nazism in their hate and xenophobia than what one would like to admit. The terror and torture they carry out is proof of that.

Some of these Radical Islamist terror groups act in a specific country. Examples coming to mind are Boko Haram in Nigeria, who at this stage is killing, kidnapping and trying to turn Nigeria into a caliphate, Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank do not tolerate opposition in their ranks. They torture ruthlessly those who oppose them. They are not interested in establishing a Palestinian state unless it replaces Israel and the Jews are driven into the sea. Their stance is such that makes any form of negotiation impossible, except on Israel’s total destruction. The PA is on the verge of collapse and has no power to negotiate any settlement with Israel. All it can do is make clucking noises about taking Israel to the ICC in the hope of drumming up world support. At the end of the day, Hamas is no liberation organization for a Palestinian State except on their terms of establishing a Caliphate similar to the aims of Daesh.

It is an unfortunate fact that radical Islam in all its forms has a common ideology - the destruction of non-Muslim culture and the establishment of a Caliphate based on Sharia Law. While local terrorist groups are trying to achieve their aims in the countries or territories of their origin, the final plan is obvious. Their terrorism knows no bounds. The Paris terrorist attacks on 13th November 2015, followed by Islamist terrorist attacks in Mali, the US (“lone wolf” attacks), stabbings in Israel, and the list will no doubt increase. While there is no coordination between these attacks with IS, there is a common ideology that is embraced by all these radical Islamist terrorist groups and lone wolves - the ideology of IS (Daesh). These groups hate non-Muslims, while Hamas has a slight edge on hatred for Jews. The latter spreads hate propaganda against Jews and Palestinian children are brainwashed into glorifying killing Jews whenever they have the chance. There is so much evidence of this in the radical Hamas children’s programmes on Palestinian TV.

The cartoons of hate coming from the PA and Hamas ruled Palestinian areas are now reaping results of Palestinian hate education. Young frustrated Palestinian teenagers and pre-teens as well as a couple of older terrorists, armed with knives and cars for ramming innocent people to death, are also part of poisoning minds of susceptible youngsters into killing. Note that IS has more resources to carry out mass killings than Hamas. Is IS under occupation? Is Hamas under occupation, while their leader, Khaled Mashal, basks in his millions in Qatar, living the life of an effendi coated in gold? Mashaal is not under occupation. He uses the Palestinians and spreads lies all over the world and even into the heart of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa where he received accolades for his “fight” against the Israeli occupation as well as a warm state reception. He cares a brass farthing if not less for the Palestinian People. His allies in IS have the same mentality and desires, despite the fact that he denies this.

Palestinian leaders believe in a fantasy world of lies and distortions. Tell a lie often enough and it becomes a truth. They believe that Israel intends to destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque is a famous example of a lie that has hit the Palestinian psyche with a vengeance and is a catalyst for the stabbing (innocent people with knives) and ramming ( cars into innocent people) sprees going on in Israel today.

 Rampage: Hundreds of male villagers who refuse to convert to Islam have been shot dead by IS

In addition, the EU and the anti Israel NGOs (which receives much money from the EU) are part of the problem and far from the solution. The EU that shows more tolerance to radical Islam rather than uprooting it from their countries are now tasting the coffee that they had brewed over the years. IS terror has now reached their soil and is threatening European civilization in Europe. European appeasement of radical Islam on their soil and the apathy of EU towards it over the years have resulted in horrific terrorist attacks against their countries. The mushrooming of radical Islamic mosques with charismatic, racist Imams as well as social media, have been recruiting susceptible European youth to their ranks for training in Daesh camps in Syria. First generation Europeans of Middle Eastern parents are brainwashed into radical Islam ranks and are trained as killers after their stint in Daesh camps in Syria.

What is it that gave the US, EU, as well as many other 

countries such incredible tolerance and apathy towards the cancer of radical Islam mushrooming in their midst? Radical Islam is very close to Nazi ideology. This has hit Europe like a boomerang.