You Can Shove It, U.N.E.S.C.O …

Last week, U.N.E.S.C.O. – an organization whose purpose, according to its own Constitution, is “to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations,” passed a blatantly one-sided anti-Israel resolution (the latest of many), which denies Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem (including western Jerusalem) and condemning (amongst other things) “persistent excavations, tunneling, works and projects in East Jerusalem, particularly in and around the Old City of Jerusalem, which are illegal under international law.”

Quite apart from the fact that determining questions of sovereignty is no part of U.N.E.S.C.O.’s mandate, one might ask, where was U.N.E.S.C.O. during the 19 years between 1948 – 1967, when the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was illegally occupying the Old City of Jerusalem (which, according to the U.N. Partition Resolution of November 1947 – UNGA Resolution 181(II) –  was supposed to be a corpus separatum, under a Special International Regime) and systematically destroying Jewish holy sites such as the ancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and the synagogues of the Jewish Quarter? Where was U.N.E.S.C.O. when, in the 19 years between 1948 – 1967, Jews (not just Israeli citizens) were denied access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem (not to mention the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron), in defiance of Resolution 181, which clearly states: “In so far as Holy Places are concerned, the liberty of access, visit and transit shall be guaranteed, in conformity with existing rights, to all residents and citizens of the other State and of the City of Jerusalem, as well as to aliens, without distinction as to nationality, subject to requirements of national security, public order and decorum“?

Where was U.N.E.S.C.O. in the 50 years since Jerusalem was reunited under Israeli sovereignty, when the Muslim Waqf carried out illegal excavations and building on the Temple Mount to enlarge the Mosques and deliberately and systematically destroyed any archaeological evidence they could find of the Jewish presence  on the Mount, which predates that of the Arab Muslim invaders by at least 1600 years?

In another section of this infamous Resolution, U.N.E.S.C.O. “Deplores the military confrontations in and around the Gaza Strip and the civilian casualties caused, as well as the continuous negative impact in the fields of competence of UNESCO, the attacks on schools and other educational and cultural facilities, including breaches of the inviolability of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools” – which would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic, considering the fact that UNWRA schools were used – with the full knowledge of UNWRA personnel – for storing missiles to be fired at Israeli civilians!

We are told that Israel can be pleased that all the European Union members of U.N.E.S.C.O.’s Executive Board, with the exception of rabidly anti-Israel Sweden, either opposed the shameful resolution, or abstained.  Frankly, as far as I am concerned, any country that abstained, is scarcely better than those who supported the measure. They are moral cowards.

Any organisation that so violates its own Constitution as to adopt such a disgraceful resolution does not deserve the name “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”.

Any resolution that can so blatantly ignore history as to deny the sovereignty of the Jewish State over Jerusalem deserves  to be used for toilet paper.

That being the case, U.N.E.S.C.O. you know where you can shove your antisemitic resolution.
Somewhere the sun doesn’t shine.