Update: The Government of Mexico today (Tuesday, 18 October) requested to change its vote from supporting the decision to abstaining.
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
Under the direction of the Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked with the government of Mexico to change its voting pattern with regards to the UNESCO decision that denies the connection of the Jewish People to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
As a result, Mexico today (Tuesday, 18 October) requested to change its vote from supporting the decision to abstaining. Israel will continue to act and expects all relevant states to support its position on this matter.
Following the preliminary adoption by the Executive Board of UNESCO of the resolution which ignores the ties of the Jewish people to its most holy sites - the Temple Mount and the Western Wall in Jerusalem on 13 October, the following statements were issued:
PM Netanyahu statement following today’s UNESCO decision
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Office)
The UNESCO theater of the absurd continues.
Today that organization adopted another delusional decision that states that the Jewish People have no connection to the Temple Mount or the Western Wall.
Even if they do not read the Bible, I would suggest that UNESCO members visit the Arch of Titus in Rome. The Arch shows what the Romans brought back to Rome after they destroyed and looted the Second Temple on the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago. There, engraved on the Arch of Titus, is the seven-branched menorah that is the symbol of the Jewish People, and today is the symbol of the State of Israel.
Soon, UNESCO will decide that Emperor Titus engaged in Zionist propaganda.
To say that Israel has no connection to the Temple Mount is like saying that China has no connection to the Great Wall of China or that Egypt has no connection to the pyramids. With this absurd decision, UNESCO has lost the modicum of legitimacy it had left.
But I believe that historical truth is stronger and that truth will prevail. And today we are dealing with the truth.
Deputy FM Hotovely's response regarding UNESCO's decision
(Communicated by the Media Advisor to Deputy Minister Hotovely)
The Executive Board of UNESCO has disgraced its international mandate in this politicized and distorted resolution. The fact that more states abstained than supported the resolution underscores the deep reservations of many states with regard to this shameful resolution. The countries that supported this resolution have lent their voice to the lie propagated by the Palestinians that the Temple Mount is an exclusively Islamic site. This falsification of history is an affront to the ancient Jewish and Christian connections to Jerusalem.