Unesco’s World Heritage Committee yesterday voted to approve a resolution criticised by Israel as ignoring Jewish ties to a key holy site in Jerusalem, the second such decision approved by the UN body in a month.
The decision, which was made by a secret ballot vote rather than passed through a general consensus, drew criticism from committee chairwoman Lale Ulker, who said she was “looking forward to having a consensus on this draft resolution.”
Palestinians welcomed the decision, with Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), contesting Israel’s interpretation of the resolution.
“Contrary to what the Israeli government claims, the resolution aims at reaffirming the importance of Jerusalem for the three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It calls for respecting the status quo of its religious sites,” he said.
In a draft of the resolution from April, Israel was heavily criticised for its control mechanisms at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The resolution refers throughout to the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif religious complex, without using the Israeli name “Temple Mount”.
It also calls on Israel to stop excavations under Jerusalem’s Old City and calls the Al-Aqsa Mosque only by its Muslim name.
Ten countries had voted in favour of the decision, while two were against and eight abstained.
One member was not present.
The draft resolution, titled Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, was submitted to the committee by Kuwait, Lebanon and Tunisia on behalf of Jordan and Palestine, who are not on the World Heritage Committee.
Criticism of the World Heritage Committee decision mirrors protest over a resolution passed last week by Unesco’s executive board, which largely ignored Jewish terms for holy sites, angering many Israeli Jews.
The Old City of Jerusalem has been a World Heritage Site since 1981.
Israel recalled its ambassador to Unesco for consultations yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, after a second resolution accused of denying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
“The theatre of the absurd continues and I decided to recall our ambassador for consultation,” Netanyahu said in a statement.”We will decide what the next steps will be.”
The Unesco World Heritage Committee adopted a resolution earlier yesterday saying it was “deeply concerned” by Israeli building works and archaeological excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The heritage committee, made up of 21 member states, adopted by consensus the text proposed by Kuwait, Lebanon and Tunisia.
The vote comes eight days after a resolution of Unesco’s Executive Council on the same theme that infuriated Israel.