Special to WorldTribune.com

In declaring the Temple Mount area a “Muslim holy site of worship,” the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on July 7 issued a “completely one sided resolution” on the Old City of Jerusalem that “deliberately ignores the historical connection between the Jewish people and their ancient capital,” Israeli officials said.

During a meeting in Bonn, Germany, the World Heritage Committee criticized Israel for allegedly engaging in “illegal excavations” in the Old City; causing damage to structures on the Temple Mount; impeding restoration work on the Temple Mount; and damaging the “visual integrity” of the Old City with the construction of Jerusalem light rail.

The committee also cited a number of Israeli projects in and around the Old City and the Western Wall Plaza, which it called the “Buraq Plaza.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold said the UNESCO resolution ignores any Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and also fails to acknowledge Christianity’s ties to the city.

“In fact, the Jewish attachment to Jerusalem has survived from ancient to modern times,” Gold said. “The Jewish people restored their majority in Jerusalem in the mid-19th century. Their ancient synagogues were destroyed and desecrated by a coalition of invading armies in 1948, who ethnically cleansed the Old City of any Jewish presence.”

Gold said Israel was all but standing alone “against the tide of intolerance” sweeping the Middle East.

“As the historical heritage sites of this area are being systematically destroyed by jihadist forces, such as the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, UNESCO’s adoption of utterly false allegations about Israeli archaeological practices is misplaced and hypocritical, at best,” he said. “The resolution is full of distortions and is totally disconnected from reality on the ground.”

  Christian connection to Jerusalem, Christian roots, Dore Gold, Israel slams UNESCO for ‘deliberately’ ignoring Jerusalem’s Jewish, Old City, Temple Mount, World Heritage Committee, WorldTribune.com