Clinton campaign slams ‘outrageous’ UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem

Aide says ex-secretary of state ‘fought for Israel against biased resolutions like these,’ would do so as president

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets then-US secretary of state Hillary Clinton at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, November 20, 2012. (Avi Ohayon/GPO via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets then-US secretary of state Hillary Clinton at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, November 20, 2012. (Avi Ohayon/GPO via Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton’s campaign slammed a UNESCO resolution that upholds Muslim claims on holy sites in Jerusalem while mostly erasing Jewish claims, calling it “outrageous” and pledging to “defend Israel against biased resolutions like these.”

Laura Rosenberger, a senior foreign policy adviser to the Democratic nominee, told JTA in an email that “it’s outrageous that UNESCO would deny the deep, historic connection between Judaism and the Temple Mount.”

The UNESCO Executive Board on Thursday passed the Palestinian-backed resolution with 24 votes in favor and 6 against, with 26 countries abstaining. While the resolution affirms “the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions,” it refers to the Temple Mount several times only as Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif, the Muslim term for the Temple Mount, without mentioning its Jewish names in Hebrew or English. It also uses the Muslim term Buraq Plaza, placing “Western Wall Plaza” in quotes, appearing to erase a Jewish connection to the site.

Israeli and US lawmakers across the political spectrum slammed the vote, along with American Jewish leaders who accused the cultural body of seeking to expunge Jewish ties to the city. Israel also cut off ties with UNESCO for as long as the resolution stands.

Orthodox Jewish men pray as they gather for the ritual of Tisha B'Av at the Wall Western in the Old City of Jerusalem, early on August 13, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Orthodox Jewish men pray as they gather for the ritual of Tisha B’Av at the Wall Western in the Old City of Jerusalem, early on August 13, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Rosenberger cited Clinton’s record as secretary of state in President Barack Obama’s first term to uphold her pro-Israel credentials.

“As secretary of state, Hillary fought to defend Israel against biased resolutions like these at the United Nations and other international organizations and would proudly do so again as president,” she said.

Donald Trump also slammed the resolution, saying in a statement Thursday that, “The United Nations’ attempt to disconnect the State of Israel from Jerusalem is a one-sided attempt to ignore Israel’s 3,000-year bond to its capital city, and is further evidence of [its] enormous anti-Israel bias.”

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