Middel East

UNESCO declares Israel an ‘occupying power’ in Jerusalem

UNESCO, the U.N. body charged with protecting humanity’s cultural treasures, approved a draft resolution Thursday calling Israel an “occupying power” in its own capital of Jerusalem, ignoring deep Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and instead accusing Israeli settlers of provoking Muslims through “aggressions.”

The resolution shunned the term “Temple Mount” in favor of its Palestinian name and demanded that Israel rescind its control over access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which stands on the Temple Mount but is also one of the holiest sites in Islam.

The U.S. and some European nations fought the resolution but were easily outmuscled by Russia, China and Middle Eastern and developing nations. Opponents were also hindered by two dozen countries that refused to vote at all, delivering victory to Israel’s critics in committee. A final vote by the UNESCO executive committee is slated for later this month.