Herzog: UNESCO ‘Spreading a Blood Libel’ to ‘Incite Against Us'

The Times of Israel reports: Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum criticized the approval Wednesday by a UNESCO panel of a controversial resolution that ignores Jewish and Christian ties to the Temple Mount, with opposition leader Isaac Herzog (pictured) labeling it a “blood libel.”

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee adopted Draft Resolution 40COM 7A.13, entitled “Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls,” by a large majority, with 10 countries voting in favor, eight abstaining and two opposing the text. Just eight “yes” votes were needed for the resolution to pass.

In a Facebook post later Wednesday, Herzog noted the Jewish people’s strong historic and religious connections to Jerusalem, and accused UNESCO of “spreading a blood libel” in order to “incite against us.”

The UNESCO decision, he wrote, “cannot erase or rewrite our past and the fact that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Israel.”

Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni called the vote “a grave mistake” that “will only lead to incitement in the region and undermine the historical facts – we must do everything in order to correct this mistake.”

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