We applaud the decision made by both the United States and Israel to withdraw their support from the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Through their decision to withdraw, both countries set an international precedent that antisemitism on an international level will not be tolerated.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has repeatedly passed resolutions denying Israel’s sovereignty and its historical Jewish connection to the land in which it resides. Their actions attempt to delegitimize Israel as a nation, and as U.S Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert said, contribute to “continuing anti-Israel bias.” While UNESCO’s praiseworthy mission to “…create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures, and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values” is commendable, the forum has fallen short of this purpose and is no longer promoting respect and shared values for all of its member states, specifically Israel.
Dr. Randall Price – distinguished research professor at Liberty University, Executive Director of the Center for Judaic Studies, and Curator of the Liberty Biblical Museum – effectively summarizes the failure of UNESCO in his response to Resolution 200 EX/25. Although not explicitly, the resolution denies Jewish and Christian connections to the Temple Mount. Price writes, “…it [the resolution] can be understood that this decision had nothing to do with the facts of history or the rights of religions, but with the political bias based on propaganda and pressure from the Palestinian Authority and the Muslim world.”
In withdrawing from UNESCO, the United States and Israel stood apart from the world by saying no to antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N., said it best when he stated, “Today is a new day at the U.N., where there is a price to pay for discrimination against Israel.”
As we celebrate this victory, we can not help but express our gratitude to the men and women who support Israel every day. Whether you advocate for Israel in your personal life, online, in your church, or are one of the nearly 30,000 individuals who signed Every State For Israel’s petition to rescind the UNESCO resolution denying Jewish and Christian ties to the Temple mount, your voice has been heard—America stands with Israel. As we look forward, we continue our mission to support Israel and oppose antisemitism so that we can truly become a nation in which every state is for Israel.
Sincerely,
The ESFI Team
