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Israel Slams UNESCO for Ignoring Jewish and Christian Connection to Jerusalem
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Israel slammed the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Tuesday for adopting a "completely one-sided resolution" on the Old City of Jerusalem that "deliberately ignores the historical connection between the Jewish people and their ancient capital." The resolution, adopted by the World Heritage Committee meeting in Bonn, Germany, takes Israel to task for engaging in "illegal excavations" in the Old City, damaging the "visual integrity" of the Old City with the Jerusalem light rail, and deploring Israeli projects at the Western Wall Plaza, which it referred to as the "Buraq Plaza." Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold said that not only does the resolution gloss over any Jewish connection to Jerusalem, it also fails to acknowledge Christianity's ties to Jerusalem and refers to the Temple Mount area only as a "Muslim holy site of worship." Gold noted that "the Jewish attachment to Jerusalem has survived from ancient to modern times. The Jewish people restored their majority in Jerusalem in the mid-19th century. Their ancient synagogues were destroyed and desecrated by a coalition of invading armies in 1948, who ethnically cleansed the Old City of any Jewish presence." It is Israel that defends religious freedom "against the tide of intolerance" sweeping the Middle East.