A resolution adopted by a United Nations committee that essentially denies any historical Jewish connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem received widespread condemnation last week. The absurdity of the resolution, however, may end up giving Israel a rare upper hand at the U.N., with even the director-general of UNESCO, its cultural agency, expressing her disgust.
The resolution, which UNESCO adopted at the committee stage, uses only Muslim names for the holy sites of Jerusalem's Old City and takes Israel to task for "provocative abuses that violate the sanctity and integrity of the area."
Not surprisingly, Jews around the world united in decrying the U.N.'s latest farcical and transparent attack on not only Israel's policies, but on Israel itself. After all, if Jews have no ancestral relationship to this land while Muslims do, the argument that Israel is a colonialist and illegitimate enterprise becomes much easier to make. UNESCO's vote ironically succeeded in bridging institutions and individuals who are often deeply divided on Israel. Indeed, some Israelis allowed themselves the hope that the Palestinians, who fueled the resolution, might finally have overstepped in their attempt to gain advantage over Israelis through the U.N.