The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)General Conference opens today in Paris, where it is scheduled to vote to admit ‘Palestine’ as a member. Should it pass, US law mandates cutting off its $70 million contributionto UNESCO - 22% of the world body’s total budget.
Should ‘Palestine’ become a UNESCO member, it will surely seek to leverage its membership to gaininternational support to erase the history of the Jewish people in Eretz Israel andseek to have holy sites, like the Cave of thePatriarchs in Hebron, Joseph’s tomb in Nablus, Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, declared as wholly Palestinian heritage sites.
While we are fully aware of UNESCO’s important role in promoting many important educational and social programs across the globe, there is more at stake here than budgetaryissues.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, on behalf of its 400,000 constituent families, has informed UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova that we fully support theUS move and other democracies that may consider similar actions.
The Palestinian gambit at UNESCO is but a stepping-stone of an ongoing heavy-handed political campaign at various UNagencies for a state whose leaders, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, openly refuse to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish State and serially deny the 3,000 yearconnection of our people to the Holy Land. We must not stand by silently! Please sign the SWC petition to UNESCO’s Director-General and ask your family and friends to join ustoday!
