Jerusalem mayor: UNESCO denial of Israeli sovereignty ‘absurd and political’
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Wednesday – supported by a cross-section of residents and visitors – uniformly condemned UNESCO’s most recent resolution attempting to sever Jewish ties to the capital of Israel.
Noting that he led members of the organization’s delegation on a private tour of the City of David just weeks earlier to prove the indisputable connection between Judaism and Jerusalem, Barkat said he was “outraged” by the vote.
“With a Bible in our hands, we walked on the very stones where kings and prophets walked 3,000 years ago,” the mayor said. “We saw the undeniable connection between Jewish history in the city of Jerusalem and the words of the Bible – a connection that is indisputable.”
Barkat continued: “The resolution that UNESCO passed Tuesday demonstrates once again the ludicrous and anti-Israel nature of the organization. Rather than support Jerusalem, they choose to side with our enemies.”
The most effective response to the resolution, Barkat said, would be “to continue to develop and advance the city of Jerusalem, the eternal home and capital of the Jewish people.”