Fury at Unesco’s Temple Mount resolution

Christian leaders are divided over a recent resolution by Unesco that referred to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount only by its Islamic name, Haram al-Sharif, writes Abigail Frymann Rouch.

Last month an Arab-sponsored resolution on the Palestinian territories was adopted that referred to Israel as an occupying power, criticised it for restricting Muslims’ access to the site, and condemned  excavations carried out nearby.  

The authors’ decision not to mention its alternative name was seen by some commentators as an attempt to sever Jewish and Christian ties to the site, on which the Al Aqsa mosque now stands. The temple, destroyed in AD 70, was the scene of much of Jesus’ ministry as well as housing the Holy of Holies. The passing of the resolution prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend ties with the UN agency, saying the “delusional decision” claimed the people of Israel have no connection to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

Although mention was made of the Western Wall, Unesco director-general Irina Bokova issued a statement distancing herself from the text, saying: “Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space.”

Jane Clements, director of the London-based Council of Christians and Jews, told The Tablet that the passing of the resolution marked “a step backwards”. She said: “The failure to recognise everybody’s place in history is important – trying to gloss over or wipe out one faith group doesn’t help the situation.”

She added that the move delegitimised Christian and Jewish ties to Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, which “will increase tensions around the site”. She said Unesco’s desire to recognise the rights of Palestinians was “fair enough [but] the problem is when it denies rights to others”.

Sr Margaret Shepherd, adviser on Catholic-Jewish Relations for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said, “The Unesco statement seems ... driven by contemporary politics ... omission of any Jewish or Christian referents is hardly worthy of an international organisation.”