Fatah: UNESCO resolution ignoring Jewish connection to the Temple Mount recognizes that the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Western Wall belong “exclusively to Muslims,” disregards “Judaizing” names
Headline: "[Fatah’s] Jerusalem branch: The occupation continues to escalate its violations against Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque"
"The Fatah Movement's Jerusalem branch emphasized in a statement published today [Oct. 26, 2016] that the occupation government and its executive branches are continuing to escalate their violations against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and occupied Jerusalem…
On another front, Fatah's Jerusalem branch welcomed the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) resolution to recognize the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a site of worship that belongs exclusively to Muslims, and that the Western Wall is the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / the Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount), as opposed to what the occupation authorities claim through Judaizing names, and this (i.e., the recognition) is in addition to the non-recognition of the term 'the Temple Mount.'"
UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” on Oct. 13, 2016, with 24 countries voting in favor, 6 against, and 24 abstentions. The resolution was later approved by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on Oct. 26, 2016, in a secret ballot in which ten countries voted in favor of the resolution, two opposed, eight abstained, and one country, Jamaica, was absent.
In the resolution UNESCO refers to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, only as “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” and presents it only as a “Muslim holy site.” The resolution condemns “escalating Israeli aggressions” and Israeli “violations” at the site, and calls on Israel “to respect the integrity, authenticity and cultural heritage of Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif… as a Muslim holy site of worship.” The resolution likewise refers to the Western Wall Plaza as the “Al-Buraq Plaza ‘Western Wall Plaza,’” adding quotation marks to the Jewish name for the site.
The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Sudan.
The countries voting for the resolution were: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Vietnam.
Those voting against it were: Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, the UK, and the US.
Mexico later noted for the record that its position on the issue is one of abstention, although the vote count was unaffected.
Full text here: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002462/246215e.pdf