Israel slams UNESCO's plan to declare Temple Mount 'Muslim'
U.N. body's 21-member World Heritage Committee seeks to pass a resolution declaring holy Jerusalem site sacred to "Muslims only" as part of calls for a return to the "historic status quo" • Israel expresses concern over EU's backing of the move.
Shlomo Cesana
Proposal denies the Jewish people's historic ties to Temple Mount, Foreign Ministry says [Illustrative]
Israel on Thursday was outraged to learn that the U.N.'s heritage body was planning to adopt a resolution declaring the Temple Mount sacred to "Muslims only."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's 21-member World Heritage Committee is set to vote on the resolution, a joint Palestinian-Jordanian initiative, during its annual meeting in Istanbul, which began on Sunday and runs through next week. The resolution calls for a return to the "historic status quo" on the Temple Mount, which it sees as favoring Muslims.
In June, UNESCO adopted a resolution deciding to refer to the holy Jerusalem site only by its Muslim name -- Al-Aqsa mosque -- in all official documents. The current resolution is far more radical, and to Israel's surprise, it has received the EU's blessing.
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