UN Acknowledges Temple Mount History
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave an interview with Israel Radio on Friday, January 27, in which he said, among other things, that it is “completely clear that the Temple that the Romans destroyed in Jerusalem was a Jewish temple.”
The Secretary-General’s comments stand in stark contrast to an action taken in the United Nations about 4 months ago in which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a resolution pushed by Palestinians that Jewish people have zero ties to the Temple Mount. According to an article in Haaretz:
UNESCO adopted an anti-Israel resolution Thursday that disregards Judaism’s historic connection to the Temple Mount and casts doubt on the link between Judaism and the Western Wall.
Twenty-four countries voted in favor of the decision while six voted against and 26 abstained while just two were missing from the vote.
The U.S., Britain, Germany, Holland, Lithuania and Estonia voted against the resolution.
A senior source said that the efforts of Israeli diplomats significantly changed the votes of European states, none of which supported the motion. Israeli efforts, he said, succeeded in swaying France, Sweden, Slovenia, Argentina, Togo and India to abstain from the vote.
The resolution, which condemns Israel on several issues regarding Jerusalem and its holy sites, was advanced by the Palestinians alongside Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Sudan.
Palestinian officials reacted with outrage to the comment made by Secretary General Guterres, which is supported by extensive historical writings including the New Testament, as well as archeological evidence unearthed over the last 150 years.
Fayez Abu Eitah, the secretary-general of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, said that “[The statements] are a direct attack on the Palestinian people’s right in the holy city, biased in favor of the site of occupation, and akin to granting legitimacy to Israel’s illegal presence in Jerusalem.”
