​Following the call by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to halt all Israeli archeological and restoration work in and around the Old City, Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold issued today (Monday, 11 July 2016) a letter to UNESCO calling upon the organization not to adopt the draft resolution.

Following is the text of the letter:

Your Excellency,

Again, UNESCO is considering the adoption of a completely one-sided draft resolution on the Old City of Jerusalem that deliberately ignores the historical connection between the Jewish people and their ancient capital. The resolution also fails to acknowledge Christianity's ties to Jerusalem. It refers to the area of the Temple Mount only as a "Muslim holy site of worship."

In fact, the Jewish attachment to Jerusalem has survived from ancient to modern times. 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.

Today, it is Israel that defends religious freedom for all of the great faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – against the tide of intolerance sweeping the Middle East region.

Under Israel, the various Christian denominations have agreed to renovate the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is transpiring right now.

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. The resolution is full of distortions and is totally disconnected from reality on the ground.

We urge you to oppose this effort to distort history, which will offend the members of the Jewish and Christian faiths, and undermine the credibility of UNESCO in the future.

Sincerely,

Dore Gold
Director General