UNESCO’s crazy vote to deny Jewish, Christian ties to Jerusalem’s holy sites

(Photo: Francois Mori – AP)

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 connections 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. There were 26 abstentions, including France, India and Argentina, which had voted in favor of less inflammatory pro-Palestinian resolutions in recent years.

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