Israel recalls UNESCO ambassador in protest at Jerusalem resolutions

  27 October 2016    Read: 1058
Israel recalls UNESCO ambassador in protest at Jerusalem resolutions
Israel on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to UNESCO for consultations after the U.N. culture body adopted a second resolution in two weeks that Israeli leaders said ignored Judaism`s connection with one of Jerusalem`s holiest sites, Reuters reported.
According to a text provided by Palestinian officials, the resolution adopted by UNESCO`s World Heritage Committee in Paris refers to the compound - revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) - only as a "Muslim holy site of worship", just as a similar motion did on Oct. 13.

The latest vote, like the first, deals with the safeguarding of the city`s religious heritage.

"The theater of the absurd continues," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. "We`ll decide what to do, what our next steps will be, vis a vis this organization."

UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, is regarded by many Israelis as hostile. Arab members of UNESCO and their supporters frequently condemn Israel.

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