Hotovely praises UN chief for Temple Mount comment

Following anger from the Palestinian Authority, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely praises the new United Nations chief for saying that the Temple destroyed by the Romans was a Jewish temple.

“I praise the UN Secretary General for standing up for the historical truth regarding the Temple Mount and the Jewish people’s historical connection to Jerusalem,” Hotovely says in a statement. “You cannot cut off the deep 3000-year connection between the people of Israel and Jerusalem.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Israel Radio on Friday during an interview with its New York correspondent that it is “completely clear that the Temple that the Romans destroyed in Jerusalem was a Jewish temple,”

The UN chief also said that “no one can deny the fact that Jerusalem is holy to three religions today,” including Judaism.

In response, Adnan al-Husseini, the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem affairs minister, told the Chinese news service Xinhua that Guterres “ignored UNESCO’s decision that considered the Al-Aqsa Mosque of pure Islamic heritage.” He also said that Guterres “violated all legal, diplomatic and humanitarian customs and overstepped his role as secretary general… and must issue an apology to the Palestinian people.”