The ADC has decried the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee (WHC) for naming Hebron’s Old City and the Cave of the Patriarchs as a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’ and listing the site as being located in the State of Palestine. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said, “The UNESCO vote on Hebron is tragic on several levels. It represents an affront to history… it further discredits an already highly questionable UN agency.”
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“Here is another instance of UNESCO shamefully adopting the false narrative of the Palestinian Authority and in the process further harming and undercutting the trust that is sorely lacking between the two parties. This blatant and ugly politicization of the holy sites underlines the reality that the Palestinians are not serious partners for peace, and are determined to deny the Jewish link to Israel. It also reinforce the justifiable perception that UNESCO is aiding and abetting the delegitimization of Israel and that it has become the weapon of choice for those seeking to erase Jewish history. The international community is well aware that Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs are not in danger, and that since 1967, this sacred site, one of Judaism’s holiest, has been open to people of all faiths. It is our hope that all nations condemn this vote, and that they ensure, using all measures available, that UNESCO, which has lost all credibility, ceases from its acts of aggression against the state of Israel.”
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading civil rights organization fighting racism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677.