Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu demanding that Israel express an official position against the US returning to membership in the anti-Israeli organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which named the ancient, former capital city of the Kingdom of Israel, Sebastia as a Palestinian Heritage Site and in 2016, excluded any Jewish heritage and claims to the Temple Mount when it enshrined the entire complex as Al Aqsa and also made it a Palestinian Heritage Site.
In an appeal that was initially reported on by “Israel Hayom”, Smotrich wrote, against the background of the lack of an official Israeli position on the issue, that "I would like you to inform the Israeli government's position opposing the renewal of the United States membership in UNESCO. Unfortunately, such consent can be conditioned on UNESCO's demand."
The finance minister suggest the Israel should only support the move if the Palestinian Authority is removed as a member.https://t.co/qb0xCtPVLL#Israel #Netanyahu #Smotrich #US #UnitedStates #UNESCO #bias #antisemitism #Nakba #Palestinian
— Israel Hayom English (@IsraelHayomEng) June 26, 2023
This is actually the first public demand of a minister in the government to act in order to stop an American move that has already been declared and thereby stand up for Israeli interests. Since then, the Biden administration has announced its intention to return to membership in the organization and on the way to pay 600 million dollars due to what the State Department called the need to stand up for American interests vis-a-vis China, also a member of UNESCO. The Netanyahu government has not yet expressed a position on the issue.
Notwithstanding a preponderance of biblical, historical and archeological evidence, Abbas, UNESCO and other Israel-haters steadfastly deny any Jewish connection whatsoever to the Temple Mount.https://t.co/4dmo7pAEvc
— Bruce Weingart (@bruce_weingart) June 21, 2023
In his letter, Smotrich mentions one of the scandalous decisions of UNESCO, which recognizes the Cave of the Patriarchs as a Palestinian and non-Jewish heritage site. In addition, the organization which is supposed to work for the inheritance and preservation of knowledge and culture, acts unilaterally against Israel, with a company registered as the "State of Palestine" being a member and the holding of “Nakba Day” ceremonies. In the past, the organization opposed the “Basic Law”, establishing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and instead stated that there is "occupying power in the city." Following a series of actions against Israel, among other things, the Trump administration withdrew from the organization, but now Biden is seeking to return.
Battir is a flourishing, ancient agricultural site which is stewarded by Palestinians to this day, yet a planned settlement by Israel’s far-right government could threaten this UNESCO designated village. https://t.co/hWLRoSMDTp
— ARTnews (@artnews) June 24, 2023
"As you know, the US during the Trump administration withdrew from UNESCO, among other things following a request by the Israeli government, and this was due to the organization's hostility to Israel, which rewrote history and its denial of the deep historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and to holy places such as the Cave of the Patriarchs, a connection Historical which was also irrevocably recognized in the law of nations and even anchored in the UN constitution at the time of the establishment of this organization. It was recently announced that the US intends to return to the organization, and this is apparently based on the previous left-wing government's notification to the State Department of its agreement to this. It goes without saying that the agreement of the State of Israel plays a central role in this case”, Smotrich wrote to Netanyahu, sending a copy to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
