UNESCO chief Irina Bokova's callfor respect and dialogue came Israel reacted with outrage to the UN body's adoption ofa resolution on Occupied Palestine on Thursday.
The resolution refers to Israelseveral times as the occupying power, while referring to the holy site by only its Arab name andcriticizes Tel Aviv for excavations and works in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
It also urges Israel to stop aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims access to their holy site.
Jerusalem is a Holy Land of the three monotheistic religions, a place of dialogue for all Jewish, Christian and Muslim people. Nothing should be undertaken to alter its integrity and authenticity, Bokova said in a statement.
On Saturday, Israel's hardline prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu accused the United Nations of "rewriting history.""This is yet another absurd UN decision, he said.
Muslims regard the compound which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock as the third-holiest site in Islam.
The site has been the focal point of repeated clashes amid contentionsby Palestinian leaders that Israel plans to change itsstatus quo.
At least 210 Palestinians, including children and women, have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of last October. Some 29 Israelis havealso been killed.
The UNESCO resolutionwas approved by 33 states, including France, Russia, Spain and Sweden.
Seventeen countries abstained while six voted against including the United States, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Other condemnations of Israel brought forth in the resolution include the regimes blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The resolution also accuses Israel of planting fake Jewish graves in Muslim cemeteries and of the continued conversion of many Islamic and Byzantine remains into the so-called Jewish ritual baths or into Jewish prayer places.
By Press TV
# Tags
Latest News
Most viewed
