Israel angered as UNESCO designates Jericho ruins as World Heritage Site in ‘Palestine’

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted on Sunday to recognize ancient ruins near Jericho as a “World Heritage Site in Palestine.”
Read more

UNESCO prepares to label biblical Jericho sites as ‘Palestinian’

Likud lawmaker Dan Illouz sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay asking her to prevent ancient Jericho from being listed as in the “State of Palestine.” Read more

EU officials squabble over conditions for Palestinian aid

A rare public clash between EU officials took place in recent days after the 27-member body announced unprecedented measures to potentially cut aid to the Palestinian Authority over its incitement to terrorism. Read more

A lot is in a name, actually

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet;” so says an iconic line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. While the sentiment that names are unimportant is enticing, the reality is that these star-crossed lovers’ names are deeply important. So, too, are the names we bestow on other things. Read more

U.S. and Israel quit over UNESCO’s love affair with “Palestine”

UNESCO’s decision to admit “Palestine” as a member state in 2011 in breach of UNESCO’s own Constitution has come back to bite UNESCO with a vengeance – with America and Israel both quitting their membership of UNESCO on 31 December 2018…writes David Singer. Read more

The hope of change at UNESCO lies with new French Jewish leader

The election of the first Jewish director-general of the United Nations cultural body UNESCO, French politician Audrey Azoulay, is raising hope that with her background and political experience, she could return the organisation to its original mission…writes Sean Savage/JNS.org. Read more

President Trump did the right thing by walking away from UNESCO

The State Department announced on Thursday that the United States would be withdrawing from the UN agency UNESCO, citing financial reasons, the need for reform and the body’s “continuing anti-Israel bias”…writes Alan M. Dershowitz. Read more

America and Israel quit UNESCO over “Palestine” fiasco

UNESCO’s decision to admit “Palestine” as a member state in 2011 in apparent breach of UNESCO’s own Constitution has come back to bite UNESCO with a vengeance – as America and Israel now give formal notice of their intention to quit UNESCO on 31 December 2018…writes David Singer. Read more

WJC Urges UN Body to focus on its Core Mandate

Following the U.S. and Israel governments’ announcements this week that the two countries intend to withdraw from UNESCO, World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder urged the United Nations body “to focus on its core mandate rather than addressing political matters that fall outside the organisation’s purview.” Read more

WJC cautiously optimistic on UN postponement

President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder said he is “cautiously optimistic” regarding UNESCO’s postponement of resolutions dealing with Israel and, in particular, Jerusalem. Read more

WJC decries UNESCO vote challenging Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem

The World Jewish Congress has denounced a UNESCO World Heritage Committee vote in favour of a motion challenging Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem, and urged member states convening in Krakow to vote against a Palestinian request denying Jewish historical ties to the Old City of Hebron. Read more

Balagan…writes Michael Kuttner

Definition: “chaos, fiasco, bedlam, mess, foul up, a state of extreme confusion and disorder.” Read more

UNESCO resolution: the ECAJ writes to the Foreign Minister

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has written to Australia’s Julie Bishop following the UNESCO resolution denying Jewish connection to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Read more

President Rivlin stresses the Jewish people’s connection to Jerusalem as he is joined by children to decorate the Sukkah

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has commented on the expected UNESCO vote questioning the historic connection of the Jewish people to the Western Wall. Read more

WJC warns UNESCO of adopting ‘another inflammatory, one-sided decision’ denying Jewish link to Jerusalem

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) has called on the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to refrain from adopting “yet another inflammatory, one-sided decision” that harshly condemns Israel and denies or downplays Judaism’s and Christianity’s connections to the holy sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Read more

International Holocaust Remembrance Day – UNESCO

Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day,  Yad Vashem has been presented with a Certificate of Recognition by UNESCO marking the inclusion of the Pages of Testimony Memorial Collection in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Read more