UNESCO vote ignoring Jewish ties to Temple Mount a ‘blood libel,’ says Herzog

Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum criticized the approval Wednesday by a UNESCO panel of a controversial resolution that ignores Jewish and Christian ties to the Temple Mount, with opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) labeling it a “blood libel.”

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee adopted Draft Resolution 40COM 7A.13, entitled “Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls,” by a large majority, with 10 countries voting in favor, eight abstaining and two opposing the text. Just eight “yes” votes were needed for the resolution to pass.

In a Facebook post later Wednesday, Herzog noted the Jewish people’s strong historic and religious connections to Jerusalem, and accused UNESCO of “spreading a blood libel” in order to “incite against us.”

The UNESCO decision, he wrote, “cannot erase or rewrite our past and the fact that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Israel.”

Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni called the vote “a grave mistake” that “will only lead to incitement in the region and undermine the historical facts – we must do everything in order to correct this mistake.”

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said UNESCO “dances to the sound of the Palestinian flute” and that it has “once again embarrassed itself.” Danon also said that the decision will not weaken the Jewish people’s connection “to Jerusalem our eternal capital.”

The latest decision came a week after another panel voted in favor of a very similar resolution ignoring non-Muslim links to the Old City and its holy sites. Last week’s decision in referred to the Temple Mount compound solely by its Muslim names, “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” and defined it only as “a Muslim holy site of worship.” It also accused Israel of various violations at the holy site.

In the wake of the resolution Wednesday, Israel recalled its ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama-Hacohen for consultations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as a result: “The theater of the absurd continues, and I have decided to summon to Israel for consultations our ambassador to UNESCO. We will decide what do, what our next steps vis-à-vis the organization will be.”

Despite the criticism, Netanyahu also painted it as a diplomatic triumph for Israel, noting that fewer countries supported the resolution than in the past and more abstained.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) defended the recalling of the ambassador, saying that “in light of the disgraceful decision of UNESCO today, my decision to suspend all ties between Israel and UNESCO is correct.”

In a Facebook video, Bennett said the resolution, like last week’s decision, belong in the “dustbin of history,” echoing remarks made earlier in the day by Shama-Hacohen.

“This is yet another absurd resolution against the State of Israel, the Jewish people and historical truth,” he said after the vote, adding that it belonged in the bin — and then lifted a black dustbin with the word “History” on it and placed a copy of the text into it.”