The Israel education organization “Stand With Us” and the International Legal Forum joined hands with the Israeli delegation to UNESCO on Tuesday and submitted a petition with more than 76,000 signatures of concerned people calling on the world body to recognize the historic ties between Judaism and Jerusalem.
The petition was submitted in Paris to Irina Bokova, secretary-general of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
A letter was also presented to Bokova on behalf of Stand With Us co-founder and CEO, Roz Rothstein, expressing the group’s deep appreciation for her “courageous stand against distorted versions of culture and history, as exemplified by the resolution currently under consideration.”
The petition was officially submitted by Israel’s envoy to UNESCO, Carmel Shama Hacohen, together with Stand With Us Northeast executive director Shahar Azani and ILF Director Yifa Segal.
A new vote on a similar resolution erasing the ancient, eternal ties between Judaism and Jerusalem is slated this week for Wednesday, Oct. 26, by the 21-member World Heritage Committee of UNESCO.
“This petition is yet another manifestation of the deep bond between Jerusalem and the Jewish people,” said Shama Hacohen.
“The list of states and leaders expressing remorse for their past votes and object to the Arab proposals is getting longer and longer.
“Whomever thinks Italy’s prime minister was the last surprise in this regard for the Arabs, will find themselves surprised again and again. The petition presents a strong moral voice, much more than the immoral Arab proposal trying to erase 3000-year-old history with ignorance and insolence,” he said.
“Israel respects Muslims and other faiths and their presence in our holiest of places, and it is tragic that the other side doesn’t have a leadership which will do the same, but rather one which is engaged only in doing the exact opposite.
“This is no longer an Israeli-Palestinian struggle, but an Arab struggle against the entire Jewish world. It is clear that Israel and the Jewish people will survive this, yet it remains unclear whether UNESCO will.”