October 14, 2016
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation fighting anti-Semitism and hatred in all its forms, has condemned the latest UNESCO resolution entitled “Occupied Palestine, effectively erasing 3000 years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem. The resolution reclassifies the Temple Mount and the Western Wall as primarily Islamic sites by referring to them by their Islamic names as the Haram al Sharif and the Al-Buraq Plaza. The resolution was passed with a vote of 24 to 6, with 26 abstaining.
ADC Chairman, Dr Dvir Abramovich, issued the following statement:
“This anti-Semitic and anti-Israel resolution is an outrageous and cynical attack on Israel and the Jewish people, and peddles a false narrative which denies three thousand years of Jewish history and Israel’s irrefutable and permanent connection to these holy sites. By engaging in such immoral historical revisionism, UNESCO is further stoking the flames of division in Jerusalem that have led to murderous terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians by individuals who have been fed a steady diet of lies and incitement. We remind UNESCO that Israel has always acknowledged the historical ties between Islam and Muslim holy sites in Israel and has ensured that freedom of worship is protected. By now, it’s clear that instead of harnessing its efforts and energies to foster respect, trust and dialogue in the region, UNESCO has become an enabling vehicle for the Palestinian Authority’s political and hypocritical assault on Judaism’s age-old cultural heritage, and in doing so has irreparably damaged its reputation and integrity. We thank the various countries that voted against the resolution, including the United States, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and express our disappointment at the twenty-six countries that abstained, including eight European countries.”
The 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.