UNESCO Adopts A Final Decision On Jerusalem

UNESCO adopted Tuesday a final decision that denied any Jewish connection to the Aqsa Mosque compound and the Western Wall (al-Buraq Wall) and their surrounding areas.

UNESCO Administrative Committee announced that a new vote would take place on Tuesday on the Jerusalem resolution after Mexico changed its position under Israeli pressures.

Haaretz Hebrew newspaper earlier revealed that the Jewish community in Mexico protested against the country’s position in favour of the resolution and exerted pressures on the Mexican government to change its decision.

Ynetnews Hebrew newspaper also said that the board approved the measure in its morning session at Paris-based UNESCO with a majority of its members, as required, voting for the adoption.

The resolution is not expected to have 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,” was the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 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 the Palestinians as members in 2011.

Israel last week suspended its ties with UNESCO over the draft resolution,.

Israel had already suspended its funding to UNESCO when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22 percent of the agency’s budget.