Originally reported in
Tovah Lazaroff | Nov 5, 2020
“Unlike this chamber which is detached from reality, a growing number of nations are acknowledging Jerusalem,” said Gilad Erdan.
Some 139 United Nations countries approved a resolution on Thursday that spoke of the Temple Mount solely as an Islamic holy site, by referencing it only by its Muslim name of al-Haram al-Sharif.
It was one of seven pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel resolutions that the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee in New York passed on Wednesday.
The resolution that spoke of Jerusalem included language that referenced the link of all three monotheistic religions to Jerusalem. The resolution, in its language, spoke of Jerusalem as “occupied” only in reference to east Jerusalem.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan told the committee that the resolution “completely ignores any link between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount – our holiest site. This is a disgrace. The audacious attempt to rewrite history will not change the indisputable fact that the Jewish connection to the city of Jerusalem dates back thousands of years.
“They will also not change the fact that today, our connection to Jerusalem is stronger than ever. A growing number of countries are moving their embassies to Jerusalem, our united and undivided capital,” Erdan said.
This UN action takes place as the Trump administration has increased its efforts to underscore Israel’s link to Jerusalem, which is the capital of the modern state and where the Jewish Temple, the most holy of Jewish sites, had stood in Biblical times.
“Unlike this chamber, which is detached from reality, a growing number of nations are acknowledging that Jerusalem is the undeniable capital of the Jewish people and the Jewish state. As Minister of Public Security, I ensured that all religions had access to Jerusalem’s holy sites,” the ambassador said.
“No resolution passed here will change the eternal connection between the Jewish people and the holiest site of our faith – Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount,” said Erdan, as he used the Hebrew words for the site.
“For years, the Palestinians have promoted language that includes only the Muslim term of “Haram al-Sharif” and purposely excludes the Jewish name – Temple Mount,” he said.
Erdan told UN member states that their “support has emboldened the Palestinians to not only deny the Jewish connection to these sites, but to deny Muslims access to them, too, while threatening violence. By supporting these resolutions you share responsibility for this behavior.”
The resolution is the latest step in a long battle between Israel and Muslim nations with regard to the status of Jerusalem, particularly the Temple Mount, which is the third holiest site in Islam.
Eight countries besides Israel voted against the Jerusalem resolution, including Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Hungary, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and the United States.
Another 16 abstained, including Austria, Belarus, Cameroon, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Honduras, Kiribati, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome Principe, Serbia, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Togo, Uruguay and Vanuatu.
Some of those who abstained such as the Czech Republic, Honduras, Serbia and Malawi have spoken of relocating their embassies to Jerusalem, a move that designates recognition of Israeli sovereignty over at least western Jerusalem. The Temple Mount as well as Jerusalem’s Old City is located in east Jerusalem.
The Dominican Republican and Brazil, which has said they would weigh relocating its embassy to Jerusalem, supported the resolution. European countries that supported the resolution include Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
