18 oct 2016
Op-ed: Terror has nothing to do with either the ‘left’ or the ‘right.’ Terrorists don’t care about this exchange of accusations between us. Terror continues because there are those who incite, those who support, those who fund and those who brainwash.
The dance begins after every act of terror: Who is to blame for terror? The Left blames the Right’s policy, the Right continues to accuse the Left of “giving them rifles,” the radical right accuses the judge who released the terrorist and Minister Gilad Erdan blames Facebook.
Most of these arguments are foolish, because when the Left was in power and “gave hope,” there was just as much terror, and now that the Right is in power terror continues. When there is no Facebook there are countless other ways to incite. The judge who released the terrorist is not guilty of anything, because many others have been released and have not gone out to murder Jews.
The ones who are guilty of terror are those who carry out acts of terror, those who incite to these acts and those who support them. It has nothing to do with either the “left” or the “right.” The terrorists don’t care about this exchange of accusations between us. They are someplace else. Terror continues because there are those who incite and there are those who support and there are those who fund and there are those who brainwash. Billions of dollars funneled from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to almost every place in the world, even in the West, have created a jihad awareness.
Those who fund anti-Israel propaganda, including Western states which support bodies that are part of BDS, carry some responsibility for the incitement that leads to terror as well. England, in a surprising move, halted funding to the Palestinian Authority last week because the money is also being used to fund terrorists. There are terror and supporters of terror also in Germany, which is embracing Muslims, and there is terror in northern Nigeria, in areas controlled by the Sharia law. Of jihad’s 1,165 victims in September around the world, just two, only two, weren't Muslim.
There will always be someone who will argue that jihad is carrying out a mass murder, mainly against Muslims, because of the occupation, but those raising these claims are worthy of hospitalization, not a serious response.
***
UNESCO is also advancing the propaganda which serves terror. This is a body which is supposed to engage in education, culture and science, but like all other international bodies, it is controlled by a majority of dark states too. In the past year, it adopted a resolution that the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount. Here we have it: Hamas and jihad propaganda receiving international aid. Germany, the United States and Britain voted against the resolution. Sweden and France voted with the dark majority. The French president, prime minister and Senate president issued statements of regret.
Last week, an allegedly softened motion was raised for discussion, talking about the three religions’ ties to Jerusalem. But the motion includes the usual anti-Israel propaganda, including many words about the destruction of Palestinian education by Israel.
Destruction? Gabi Baramki, former president of Birzeit University, admitted that “before June 5, 1967, no universities existed in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.” Under Israeli rule, and with Israeli encouragement, 11 universities, 13 university colleges and 19 communal colleges developed there. Forty-three higher education institutions. There are results. According to a Palestinian, study, “The Palestinians have the highest rate of university graduates in the Arab world.” But UNESCO is calling it “destruction.” As I write these words, it is unclear how France voted on Thursday.
Israel too supports a body which serves the propaganda of terror. Yes, Israel. The Miluimnikim BaHazit (Reservists on Duty) movement, led by Amit Deri, recently published a comprehensive document on Israel Social TV – a media outlet which accuses, or whose leaders accuse Israel of terror, support refusing orders, join petitions calling for a boycott against Israel and basically support the fantasy called “the right of return.” The channel’s representative, Yehudit Ilani, escorted the Zaytouna boat which tried to reach Gaza, likely not just as a journalist. She also serves as Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi’s assistant. In other words, Israel Social TV, under any objective standards, belongs to the BDS circles. If not officially, then definitely propaganda-wise.
The thing is that Israel, not Iran, not Sweden, provides this body with governmental funding. From 2008 to 2014, the channel received $250,000 in support from the New Israel Fund (which officially opposes BDS and basically funds bodies serving the BDS campaign) and $669,000 from European foundations and states. So far, there is nothing new here. The absurdity lies in the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Communications – not the Palestinian one – transferred to this body $25,000 in funding. And the Council for Cable TV, it should be added, allotted a cable channel for this anti-Israel propaganda.
When Amir Deri released the report about the channel, claims of “silencing” where immediately raised. Well, Israeli democracy can and should allow such bodies freedom of expression. But it is only in a foolish country that such a body, which is ideologically located between BDS and Balad, can receive funding from the Israeli government and four (!) national service positions. Forget about the Right. After all, it is a right-wing government which is funding this body. Where the hell is the Zionist left? Why is it not clarifying that this is an absurdity? Why is it not setting red lines?
***
The Culture Ministry has decided to allow Einat Weizman’s play, “Palestine Year Zero,” to participate in the Acre International Fringe Theater Festival. Let’s put the content of the play aside for a minute. Even critical, and very critical, plays have the right to exist. The more fascinating issue is how Weizman managed to receive funding from a public body, Mifal HaPayis, and find a way into a state-funded festival.
Weizman does not conceal her opinions. She is active in an NGO which opposes a Jewish state, she is in favor of Apartheid Week created by the BDS, and she is in favor of boycotting Israel. The play was written with the help of that same NGO she is active in, which supports Israel’s destruction through the “right of return.” There are more moderate voices in the Palestinian Authority than the voices of this NGO’s members. If and when progress is made towards peace, Inshallah, the members of this NGO will be part of the Palestinian rejectionist front. They will not settle for less than eliminating “the Zionist criminal.”
Most left-wing artists voice legitimate opinions. They can be supported and they can be opposed. Few hold ultra-anti-Zionist opinions like Weizman’s, who endorsed the Joint Arab List before the latest elections.
So the problem is not what the culture minister will say or won’t say. The question is how can someone who supports a boycott against Israel, and who is basically against the state’s existence, think that she is entitled to any aid from the state in order to promote her agenda, which is based on the state’s destruction. Where the hell does she get this nerve?
As for its content, it is unnecessary to mention that this play belongs to the propaganda which characterizes the anti-Zionist left, the kind of propaganda which provides justifications for anti-Israel hatred and terror. And the State of Israel is funding it. I have said it before and I must say it again: What a foolish state.
The dance begins after every act of terror: Who is to blame for terror? The Left blames the Right’s policy, the Right continues to accuse the Left of “giving them rifles,” the radical right accuses the judge who released the terrorist and Minister Gilad Erdan blames Facebook.
Most of these arguments are foolish, because when the Left was in power and “gave hope,” there was just as much terror, and now that the Right is in power terror continues. When there is no Facebook there are countless other ways to incite. The judge who released the terrorist is not guilty of anything, because many others have been released and have not gone out to murder Jews.
The ones who are guilty of terror are those who carry out acts of terror, those who incite to these acts and those who support them. It has nothing to do with either the “left” or the “right.” The terrorists don’t care about this exchange of accusations between us. They are someplace else. Terror continues because there are those who incite and there are those who support and there are those who fund and there are those who brainwash. Billions of dollars funneled from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to almost every place in the world, even in the West, have created a jihad awareness.
Those who fund anti-Israel propaganda, including Western states which support bodies that are part of BDS, carry some responsibility for the incitement that leads to terror as well. England, in a surprising move, halted funding to the Palestinian Authority last week because the money is also being used to fund terrorists. There are terror and supporters of terror also in Germany, which is embracing Muslims, and there is terror in northern Nigeria, in areas controlled by the Sharia law. Of jihad’s 1,165 victims in September around the world, just two, only two, weren't Muslim.
There will always be someone who will argue that jihad is carrying out a mass murder, mainly against Muslims, because of the occupation, but those raising these claims are worthy of hospitalization, not a serious response.
***
UNESCO is also advancing the propaganda which serves terror. This is a body which is supposed to engage in education, culture and science, but like all other international bodies, it is controlled by a majority of dark states too. In the past year, it adopted a resolution that the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount. Here we have it: Hamas and jihad propaganda receiving international aid. Germany, the United States and Britain voted against the resolution. Sweden and France voted with the dark majority. The French president, prime minister and Senate president issued statements of regret.
Last week, an allegedly softened motion was raised for discussion, talking about the three religions’ ties to Jerusalem. But the motion includes the usual anti-Israel propaganda, including many words about the destruction of Palestinian education by Israel.
Destruction? Gabi Baramki, former president of Birzeit University, admitted that “before June 5, 1967, no universities existed in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.” Under Israeli rule, and with Israeli encouragement, 11 universities, 13 university colleges and 19 communal colleges developed there. Forty-three higher education institutions. There are results. According to a Palestinian, study, “The Palestinians have the highest rate of university graduates in the Arab world.” But UNESCO is calling it “destruction.” As I write these words, it is unclear how France voted on Thursday.
Israel too supports a body which serves the propaganda of terror. Yes, Israel. The Miluimnikim BaHazit (Reservists on Duty) movement, led by Amit Deri, recently published a comprehensive document on Israel Social TV – a media outlet which accuses, or whose leaders accuse Israel of terror, support refusing orders, join petitions calling for a boycott against Israel and basically support the fantasy called “the right of return.” The channel’s representative, Yehudit Ilani, escorted the Zaytouna boat which tried to reach Gaza, likely not just as a journalist. She also serves as Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi’s assistant. In other words, Israel Social TV, under any objective standards, belongs to the BDS circles. If not officially, then definitely propaganda-wise.
The thing is that Israel, not Iran, not Sweden, provides this body with governmental funding. From 2008 to 2014, the channel received $250,000 in support from the New Israel Fund (which officially opposes BDS and basically funds bodies serving the BDS campaign) and $669,000 from European foundations and states. So far, there is nothing new here. The absurdity lies in the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Communications – not the Palestinian one – transferred to this body $25,000 in funding. And the Council for Cable TV, it should be added, allotted a cable channel for this anti-Israel propaganda.
When Amir Deri released the report about the channel, claims of “silencing” where immediately raised. Well, Israeli democracy can and should allow such bodies freedom of expression. But it is only in a foolish country that such a body, which is ideologically located between BDS and Balad, can receive funding from the Israeli government and four (!) national service positions. Forget about the Right. After all, it is a right-wing government which is funding this body. Where the hell is the Zionist left? Why is it not clarifying that this is an absurdity? Why is it not setting red lines?
***
The Culture Ministry has decided to allow Einat Weizman’s play, “Palestine Year Zero,” to participate in the Acre International Fringe Theater Festival. Let’s put the content of the play aside for a minute. Even critical, and very critical, plays have the right to exist. The more fascinating issue is how Weizman managed to receive funding from a public body, Mifal HaPayis, and find a way into a state-funded festival.
Weizman does not conceal her opinions. She is active in an NGO which opposes a Jewish state, she is in favor of Apartheid Week created by the BDS, and she is in favor of boycotting Israel. The play was written with the help of that same NGO she is active in, which supports Israel’s destruction through the “right of return.” There are more moderate voices in the Palestinian Authority than the voices of this NGO’s members. If and when progress is made towards peace, Inshallah, the members of this NGO will be part of the Palestinian rejectionist front. They will not settle for less than eliminating “the Zionist criminal.”
Most left-wing artists voice legitimate opinions. They can be supported and they can be opposed. Few hold ultra-anti-Zionist opinions like Weizman’s, who endorsed the Joint Arab List before the latest elections.
So the problem is not what the culture minister will say or won’t say. The question is how can someone who supports a boycott against Israel, and who is basically against the state’s existence, think that she is entitled to any aid from the state in order to promote her agenda, which is based on the state’s destruction. Where the hell does she get this nerve?
As for its content, it is unnecessary to mention that this play belongs to the propaganda which characterizes the anti-Zionist left, the kind of propaganda which provides justifications for anti-Israel hatred and terror. And the State of Israel is funding it. I have said it before and I must say it again: What a foolish state.
16 oct 2016
B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad speaking at the UN Security Council
Op-ed: The UN has become a backward body plagued with non-democratic nations that initiate and supports anti-Israeli resolutions. B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad's appearance at the UN Security Council did nothing to promote the fight against the settlement enterprise, or peace for that matter. If anything, it played into the enemy's propaganda.
My position regarding the settlement enterprise is more similar to that of B'Tselem than to that of the Israeli government. In fact, it is a position shared by most of Israel's powerful friends in the world—both Jews and non-Jews. With that in mind, B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad's appearance before the UN Security Council was more than disgraceful.
Why? Because the UN—with all of its different agencies—has become a backward body with a guaranteed majority of non-democratic nations.
Only last week UNESCO, one of the UN's more important agencies, adopted a resolution that will go down in history as disgraceful. The entire world is not against us. None of the Western countries supported the resolution on Jerusalem. But the countries that initiated the discussion the B'Tselem representative participated in all belong to a bloc that regularly votes against Israel.
One of them is Venezuela, still controlled by the successors of the anti-Semite Hugo Chávez, whose citizens are suffering from starvation. Or Malaysia, which for many years was ruled by Mahathir Mohamad, who declared himself a proud anti-Semite. So B'Tselem’s claims that they are trying to save Israel from itself are becoming absurd. The backward majority at the UN suits them fine, but Israel in their opinion is not democratic. It appears there's no limit to the absurd.
It's the same story in all of the UN's agencies. The UN Human Rights Council ignores 99 percent of human rights violations in the world. The great majority of the council's condemnations are against Israel.
The World Health Organization, in its last meeting, saw fit to adopt only one resolution of condemnation. Not for the millions who suffer and starve in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and other places because of crimes against humanity perpetrated by global jihad and its proxies. No way. The only resolution adopted was against Israeli control over the Golan Heights.
And all UN institutions put together have adopted more resolutions against Israel than against all other countries in the world combined.
This doesn't justify the settlement enterprise. But cooperating with backward institutions does not help promote peace, reconciliation, or an accord. On the contrary, appearing before a UN forum only serves to encourage the anti-Israel sentiment.
After all, there is no Palestinian civic body that would appear before the UN and explain, for example, that it's Palestinian intransigence that perpetuates the conflict. And there is no Palestinian body that would talk about how the violations of human rights perpetrated by the Palestinian leadership—both Hamas and the PA—is ten times bigger than what is attributed to Israel. And there is no Palestinian body that would appear there and say that the incitement against Israel and Jews and the encouragement of terrorism push any chances of reconciliation further away.
But there is a representative from B'Tselem to go there and give a shot of encouragement to the backward majority. A representative of Americans for Peace Now, Lara Friedman, presented data on the expansion of the settlements, while expressing concern for the future and prosperity of the State of Israel. Her appearance was reserved. El-Ad, meanwhile, only fueled the poisonous propaganda against Israel.
This wasn't an error or a one-time slip-up. For B'Tselem, much like for Breaking the Silence, this is the way and these are their methods. After all, these organizations cooperated with and provided incriminating information to the UN Human Rights Council. They knew that it was Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Libya who were dictating the line there. They knew they were serving the Hamas propaganda machine. Despite that, they cooperated.
The executive director of B'Tselem does not represent the left wing, and most of the supporters of a more dovish position have reservations against the anti-Israeli activity of this loud section of the left wing—because this is the way to bolster the right wing, which is turning the binational state vision into reality. This is the way to turn the left wing into a pariah. This is a way that disgraces the Israeli democracy, while relying on the backward majority at the UN.
The B'Tselem representative did nothing to help the fight against the settlements. He only contributed to the propaganda of incitement and hatred against Israel, which has nothing to do with peace.
Op-ed: The UN has become a backward body plagued with non-democratic nations that initiate and supports anti-Israeli resolutions. B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad's appearance at the UN Security Council did nothing to promote the fight against the settlement enterprise, or peace for that matter. If anything, it played into the enemy's propaganda.
My position regarding the settlement enterprise is more similar to that of B'Tselem than to that of the Israeli government. In fact, it is a position shared by most of Israel's powerful friends in the world—both Jews and non-Jews. With that in mind, B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad's appearance before the UN Security Council was more than disgraceful.
Why? Because the UN—with all of its different agencies—has become a backward body with a guaranteed majority of non-democratic nations.
Only last week UNESCO, one of the UN's more important agencies, adopted a resolution that will go down in history as disgraceful. The entire world is not against us. None of the Western countries supported the resolution on Jerusalem. But the countries that initiated the discussion the B'Tselem representative participated in all belong to a bloc that regularly votes against Israel.
One of them is Venezuela, still controlled by the successors of the anti-Semite Hugo Chávez, whose citizens are suffering from starvation. Or Malaysia, which for many years was ruled by Mahathir Mohamad, who declared himself a proud anti-Semite. So B'Tselem’s claims that they are trying to save Israel from itself are becoming absurd. The backward majority at the UN suits them fine, but Israel in their opinion is not democratic. It appears there's no limit to the absurd.
It's the same story in all of the UN's agencies. The UN Human Rights Council ignores 99 percent of human rights violations in the world. The great majority of the council's condemnations are against Israel.
The World Health Organization, in its last meeting, saw fit to adopt only one resolution of condemnation. Not for the millions who suffer and starve in Nigeria, Somalia, Syria and other places because of crimes against humanity perpetrated by global jihad and its proxies. No way. The only resolution adopted was against Israeli control over the Golan Heights.
And all UN institutions put together have adopted more resolutions against Israel than against all other countries in the world combined.
This doesn't justify the settlement enterprise. But cooperating with backward institutions does not help promote peace, reconciliation, or an accord. On the contrary, appearing before a UN forum only serves to encourage the anti-Israel sentiment.
After all, there is no Palestinian civic body that would appear before the UN and explain, for example, that it's Palestinian intransigence that perpetuates the conflict. And there is no Palestinian body that would talk about how the violations of human rights perpetrated by the Palestinian leadership—both Hamas and the PA—is ten times bigger than what is attributed to Israel. And there is no Palestinian body that would appear there and say that the incitement against Israel and Jews and the encouragement of terrorism push any chances of reconciliation further away.
But there is a representative from B'Tselem to go there and give a shot of encouragement to the backward majority. A representative of Americans for Peace Now, Lara Friedman, presented data on the expansion of the settlements, while expressing concern for the future and prosperity of the State of Israel. Her appearance was reserved. El-Ad, meanwhile, only fueled the poisonous propaganda against Israel.
This wasn't an error or a one-time slip-up. For B'Tselem, much like for Breaking the Silence, this is the way and these are their methods. After all, these organizations cooperated with and provided incriminating information to the UN Human Rights Council. They knew that it was Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Libya who were dictating the line there. They knew they were serving the Hamas propaganda machine. Despite that, they cooperated.
The executive director of B'Tselem does not represent the left wing, and most of the supporters of a more dovish position have reservations against the anti-Israeli activity of this loud section of the left wing—because this is the way to bolster the right wing, which is turning the binational state vision into reality. This is the way to turn the left wing into a pariah. This is a way that disgraces the Israeli democracy, while relying on the backward majority at the UN.
The B'Tselem representative did nothing to help the fight against the settlements. He only contributed to the propaganda of incitement and hatred against Israel, which has nothing to do with peace.
15 oct 2016
After the High Court of Justice banned the use of partitions on public streets of the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood, pashkevils were posted telling women to not walk its main street during the upcoming days of the Sukkot holiday.
Following a High Court of Justice (HCJ) decision to prohibit the use of partitions on public streets, thus not allowing a separation of male and female pedestrians on the sidewalks of Mea Shearim, Pashkevils (posters hung in public places in ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods) announcing that women must not walk on the main street of the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday were hung up.
Partitions were be placed on the street in the past, but the HCJ ruled against the practice six years ago, putting an end to it. The HCJ also prohibited placing "modesty ushers" in the area.
"And a special request to the women – residents of the area as well as passersby – try to minimize as much as possible crossings of the main street of Mea Shearim in Chol Hamoed night times, and only go through side streets, and in general minimize visits in the (Mea Shearim) neighborhood in those hours," one of the posters said.
Following the pashkevil's hanging, the Hiddush organization, which advocates separation of religion from state, sent an inquiry to the Jerusalem municipality's legal council, as well as to the one of the deputies of the attorney general. "It cannot be that in the main street of a city, even in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, women will find themselves outcast from the public square," said Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev.
The Jerusalem municipality responded to this story, stating that the inquiry reached its offices shortly before the start of the Yom Kippur holiday, and that, "It will be taken care of by the city's enforcement and policing department, in accordance with the law."
Related: Report lists Israel as 17th best country to be a woman
Following a High Court of Justice (HCJ) decision to prohibit the use of partitions on public streets, thus not allowing a separation of male and female pedestrians on the sidewalks of Mea Shearim, Pashkevils (posters hung in public places in ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods) announcing that women must not walk on the main street of the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday were hung up.
Partitions were be placed on the street in the past, but the HCJ ruled against the practice six years ago, putting an end to it. The HCJ also prohibited placing "modesty ushers" in the area.
"And a special request to the women – residents of the area as well as passersby – try to minimize as much as possible crossings of the main street of Mea Shearim in Chol Hamoed night times, and only go through side streets, and in general minimize visits in the (Mea Shearim) neighborhood in those hours," one of the posters said.
Following the pashkevil's hanging, the Hiddush organization, which advocates separation of religion from state, sent an inquiry to the Jerusalem municipality's legal council, as well as to the one of the deputies of the attorney general. "It cannot be that in the main street of a city, even in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, women will find themselves outcast from the public square," said Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev.
The Jerusalem municipality responded to this story, stating that the inquiry reached its offices shortly before the start of the Yom Kippur holiday, and that, "It will be taken care of by the city's enforcement and policing department, in accordance with the law."
Related: Report lists Israel as 17th best country to be a woman
Irregular meteorological conditions cause rise in pollution levels; Ministry of Environmental Protection issues special instructions to all Bazan oil refinery plants in order to avoid furthering the problem.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that an highly irregular meteorological conditions in the area have led to the accumulation of unusual levels of pollution in the Haifa Bay. In response, the ministry issued special instructions to all Bazan oil refineries in order to prevent the problem from worsening.
"The Ministry of Environmental Protection closely monitors the activities of plants all over Haifa Bay, and especially the Bazan complex," the ministry's statement said. "As a result of the conditions (a sharp reversal in temperatures), the proper dispersal of emissions was prevented, and the air remained close to ground. Therefore, and due to the fact that a rise in concentration of pollution in the monitoring stations has been registered, the ministry has instructed the plants to take precautionary and preventative measures."
The accumulation of pollution was apparently caused by an environmental phenomena called inversion. It entails air staying near ground level instead of rising, which can cause pollutant materials to improperly disperse, thus keeping them in a relatively small area in high concentration.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that an highly irregular meteorological conditions in the area have led to the accumulation of unusual levels of pollution in the Haifa Bay. In response, the ministry issued special instructions to all Bazan oil refineries in order to prevent the problem from worsening.
"The Ministry of Environmental Protection closely monitors the activities of plants all over Haifa Bay, and especially the Bazan complex," the ministry's statement said. "As a result of the conditions (a sharp reversal in temperatures), the proper dispersal of emissions was prevented, and the air remained close to ground. Therefore, and due to the fact that a rise in concentration of pollution in the monitoring stations has been registered, the ministry has instructed the plants to take precautionary and preventative measures."
The accumulation of pollution was apparently caused by an environmental phenomena called inversion. It entails air staying near ground level instead of rising, which can cause pollutant materials to improperly disperse, thus keeping them in a relatively small area in high concentration.
Irina Bokova (L) and Tzipi Livni
Irina Bokova, responding to a letter from the former Israeli foreign minister, distanced herself from her cultural agency's controversial decision and affirmed their commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
After Education Minister Naftali Bennett's (Bayit Yehudi) announcement that Israel would cease its cooperation with UNESCO, the director general of the UN's cultural body, Irina Bokova, clarified in a letter to Hatnuah Party Leader MK Tzipi Livni that the organization works "to fight intolerance and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, including those which seek to delegitimize the State of Israel."
Bokova's letter was in response to one that Livni sent to her the eve of the UNESCO executive board's controversial adoption of a draft resolution that disregards the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
Bokova's letter, addressed to Livni in her capacity as "Former Foreign Minister of the State of Israel," begins by emphasizing that "such decisions are discussed and taken by the Member States and not by" the director general herself. She added that, as such, she transferred Livni's letter to Michael Worbs, the chairperson of the executive board.
Bokova repeated her statements from April, July and this week that "the Old City of Jerusalem is the sacred city of the three monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and that Jewish (sic), Christians and Muslims have a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city."
The director general continued, in apparent opposition to the draft resolution as approved by her executive board, "I firmly believe that to deny or conceal any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site."
Bokova pointed out some of the Israeli sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list and some of the organization's projects that "attest to our commitment to Jewish culture and bear witness to our knowledge and respect for the ties between the Jewish People and the Holy Land, including Jerusalem."
She also touted UNESCO's being "the only UN agency with a dedicated programme on Holocaust education."
In Livni's letter to UNESCO on Thursday, she warned that the member states' adopting the draft resolution was likely to incite religious conflict and undermine the sensitive status quo in Jerusalem.
Irina Bokova, responding to a letter from the former Israeli foreign minister, distanced herself from her cultural agency's controversial decision and affirmed their commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
After Education Minister Naftali Bennett's (Bayit Yehudi) announcement that Israel would cease its cooperation with UNESCO, the director general of the UN's cultural body, Irina Bokova, clarified in a letter to Hatnuah Party Leader MK Tzipi Livni that the organization works "to fight intolerance and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, including those which seek to delegitimize the State of Israel."
Bokova's letter was in response to one that Livni sent to her the eve of the UNESCO executive board's controversial adoption of a draft resolution that disregards the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
Bokova's letter, addressed to Livni in her capacity as "Former Foreign Minister of the State of Israel," begins by emphasizing that "such decisions are discussed and taken by the Member States and not by" the director general herself. She added that, as such, she transferred Livni's letter to Michael Worbs, the chairperson of the executive board.
Bokova repeated her statements from April, July and this week that "the Old City of Jerusalem is the sacred city of the three monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and that Jewish (sic), Christians and Muslims have a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city."
The director general continued, in apparent opposition to the draft resolution as approved by her executive board, "I firmly believe that to deny or conceal any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site."
Bokova pointed out some of the Israeli sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list and some of the organization's projects that "attest to our commitment to Jewish culture and bear witness to our knowledge and respect for the ties between the Jewish People and the Holy Land, including Jerusalem."
She also touted UNESCO's being "the only UN agency with a dedicated programme on Holocaust education."
In Livni's letter to UNESCO on Thursday, she warned that the member states' adopting the draft resolution was likely to incite religious conflict and undermine the sensitive status quo in Jerusalem.