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U.S. Official Criticizes New UNESCO Resolution Labeling Israeli Actions in Jerusalem "Illegal"
(Algemeiner) Ben Cohen - A U.S. official condemned a resolution entitled "Occupied Palestine" to be voted on this Tuesday by UNESCO. The resolution asserts "all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel...which have altered...the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular the 'basic law' on Jerusalem, are null and void." The Basic Law on Jerusalem, passed by the Knesset in 1980, affirms that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel." Two sites sacred to Jewish worshipers - the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem - are defined by the resolution as "Palestinian sites" and "an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory." The U.S. official said, "UNESCO is too often used as a vehicle by member states inclined to delegitimize the State of Israel. Although several of these anti-Israel resolutions are typically adopted biannually by UNESCO, over time they have become increasingly political in nature and now question Israel's basic claim to historic sites. These resolutions are counterproductive to the core work of UNESCO and do nothing to advance the goal we all share of a two-state solution."