Bennett says UNESCO rewriting history to placate Muslim states

Education Minister Naftali Bennett writes to UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, accusing the cultural body of denying history in Jerusalem “in order to placate and accommodate the anti-Israel – if not anti-Semitic – motions put forward by Arab and Muslim states.”

Bennett writes: “UNESCO is obligated to teach facts, not rewrite history. In this case, thousands of years of tradition, combined with archeological evidence, paints a clear picture. Two Jewish temples stood on the site centuries before Islam was introduced to the world… Coins, inscriptions in stone, seals and other artifacts – as well as the descriptions of Greek and Roman historians – all prove Temple Mount has been the focal point of Jewish tradition for thousands of years.”

He adds: “For the second time this year, UNESCO is voting to deny history in order to placate and accommodate the anti-Israel – if not anti-Semitic – motions put forward by Arab and Muslim states. Ignoring Jewish ties to Temple Mount is blatant history denial.”