PA Ministry of Religious Affairs on UN Sec-Gen statement's reagarding Jewish Temple: "The entire holy site of Jerusalem is a purely Islamic site, to which nobody else has any right"
Headline: “In light of the demands for an apology from Guterres – broad national condemnation of the statements of the UN secretary-general on the topic of the Al-Aqsa Mosque”
“The [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs and the national action factions condemned in the strongest language the statements of new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the matter of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the alleged Temple in occupied Jerusalem…
Guterres said earlier in his statements to Voice of Israel radio that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is ‘a Jewish Temple and belongs to the Jews,’ and in doing so contradicted dozens of resolutions passed by his organization [the UN], its institutions, and its committees that are concerned with the matter, which have emphasized that the entire holy site of Jerusalem is a purely Islamic site, to which nobody else has any right…
[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is condemned Guterres’ statements. He said that they misconstrue the historical facts and constitute an attempt to return the crisis to the starting point, ignoring the UNESCO resolution [of Oct. 13, 2016], which clearly determined the legal and historical status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque as the exclusive right of Muslims and a sacred property belonging only to them. [He added that] it is forbidden to change this status under any circumstances, and called to distance political fawning from the sites holy to Islam and Christianity. Ida’is demanded that the Arab nation, the Islamic nation, and the international community stand determinedly against these statements that serve the interest of those calling for a religious war in the region.”
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On Jan. 29, 2017, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was interviewed by Benny Avni of the Voice of Israel radio station. In the interview Guterres discussed the rise in Antisemitism in both Europe and the US, saying that it is a "dangerous trend" and that what particularly worries him about it is that it is "directly impacting Jewish communities," and that "people are attacked." He also noted that the Antisemitism against Jewish communities does not seem to be related to the State of Israel.
Regarding the discrimination against Israel in the UN, Guterres said: "Israel needs to be considered as a state as the same as all the others with exactly the same rights and obligations and without any form of discrimination."
Addressing the issue of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple that stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Guterres stated that: "It is clear to me that the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, was a Jewish temple. As it is clear for me today that Jerusalem is today a holy city for three religions. These are the facts that nobody can deny."
Questioned about his plans regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process, Guterres answered: "I have no initiative planned. I am a strong believer in the two-state solution... what I believe is necessary is that the two parties come together and find an agreement to have peace."
UNESCO Resolution on “Occupied Palestine” - On Oct. 13, 2016, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” 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.
On Oct. 14, 2016, Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova indicated her opposition to the proposal, making the following statement: “The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city... To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list. When these divisions carry over into UNESCO, an organization dedicated to dialogue and peace, they prevent us from carrying out our mission."
“The [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs and the national action factions condemned in the strongest language the statements of new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the matter of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the alleged Temple in occupied Jerusalem…
Guterres said earlier in his statements to Voice of Israel radio that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is ‘a Jewish Temple and belongs to the Jews,’ and in doing so contradicted dozens of resolutions passed by his organization [the UN], its institutions, and its committees that are concerned with the matter, which have emphasized that the entire holy site of Jerusalem is a purely Islamic site, to which nobody else has any right…
[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is condemned Guterres’ statements. He said that they misconstrue the historical facts and constitute an attempt to return the crisis to the starting point, ignoring the UNESCO resolution [of Oct. 13, 2016], which clearly determined the legal and historical status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque as the exclusive right of Muslims and a sacred property belonging only to them. [He added that] it is forbidden to change this status under any circumstances, and called to distance political fawning from the sites holy to Islam and Christianity. Ida’is demanded that the Arab nation, the Islamic nation, and the international community stand determinedly against these statements that serve the interest of those calling for a religious war in the region.”
Click to view bulletin
On Jan. 29, 2017, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was interviewed by Benny Avni of the Voice of Israel radio station. In the interview Guterres discussed the rise in Antisemitism in both Europe and the US, saying that it is a "dangerous trend" and that what particularly worries him about it is that it is "directly impacting Jewish communities," and that "people are attacked." He also noted that the Antisemitism against Jewish communities does not seem to be related to the State of Israel.
Regarding the discrimination against Israel in the UN, Guterres said: "Israel needs to be considered as a state as the same as all the others with exactly the same rights and obligations and without any form of discrimination."
Addressing the issue of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple that stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Guterres stated that: "It is clear to me that the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, was a Jewish temple. As it is clear for me today that Jerusalem is today a holy city for three religions. These are the facts that nobody can deny."
Questioned about his plans regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process, Guterres answered: "I have no initiative planned. I am a strong believer in the two-state solution... what I believe is necessary is that the two parties come together and find an agreement to have peace."
UNESCO Resolution on “Occupied Palestine” - On Oct. 13, 2016, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a resolution in Paris on “Occupied Palestine” 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.
On Oct. 14, 2016, Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova indicated her opposition to the proposal, making the following statement: “The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city... To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list. When these divisions carry over into UNESCO, an organization dedicated to dialogue and peace, they prevent us from carrying out our mission."
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