Israeli UNESCO ambassador calls agency ‘full partner’ in Palestinian incitement

Israeli UNESCO ambassador highlights UN agency’s role inciting the recent terror attack on the Temple Mount, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Thursday, Israel’s Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama Hacohen urged the organization’s director-general Irina Georgieva Bokova to condemn the terror attack on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which claimed the lives of two Israeli Druze border police officers.

UNESCO has so far failed to condemn the Arab terror attack, despite the fact that it took place on the Temple Mount, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In his letter, Israel’s envoy to UNESCO advised the international body to condemn Friday’s assault and stay true to its principles of defending World Heritage Sites and not allowing them to be tainted by terrorism. The three terrorists were reportedly hiding their weapons in one of the mosques on the Temple Mount, assisted by Waqf officials. The Waqf Islamist Trust is the organization tasked with managing the Temple Mount.

“On July 14th, 2017, three terrorists, armed with rifles and pistols, launched an attack on Israeli police officers near one of the gates to Har-Habait (Temple Mount) in the Old City of Jerusalem. Several Israelis were seriously injured, among them two Israeli police officers who were killed,” Shama Hacohen wrote.

The Israeli envoy stressed the UN body’s responsibilities: “The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, including Har-Habait (Temple Mount), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as the Director General of this Organization, I urge you to strongly condemn this deadly and shameful attack, [which] occurred within a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

The Israeli Ambassador urged UNESCO’s director in Paris to condemn terrorism and the abuse of sacred sites.

“Furthermore, I urge you to condemn the use of Har-Habayit (Temple Mount) as a place of launching terror attacks against Israel, and condemn as well the violation of the holiness of this sacred place by terrorists.”

Ambassador Shama Hacohen also accused UNESCO of being complicit in false anti-Israel incitement.

“UNESCO is a full partner to the false incitement by Palestinians and radical Islam who claim that Al-Aksa [Temple Mount mosque] is in danger.”

By: Daniel Krygier, World Israel News

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