A prominent Jewish organization is condemning a "malicious" United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) resolution that would designate the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem as part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The draft text of the resolution, which will be voted on Wednesday, deems the Western Wall an "integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque." The wall, called Kotel in Hebrew, represents the last standing remnant of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Outraged by the resolution, B’nai B’rith International President Allan J. Jacobs and Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin penned a letter to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova Monday labeling it "absurd" and "vile."
"For UNESCO, the entity of the United Nations charged with preserving the cultural heritage of humanity, to pass a resolution that so blatantly disregards history would be an open affront to Judaism and the Jewish people," they wrote.
"The creeping but undisguised historical revisionism and territorial, cultural and civilizational appropriation taking root at UNESCO--culminating in this vile effort to, plainly, rob Jews and Judaism even of the Kotel--should make clear which side in the conflict is truly inciting religious tensions and seeking to alter the status quo in Jerusalem."
Other Jewish organizations and Israel’s Foreign Ministry have also slammed the resolution. The latter labeled it "an attempt to distort history and blur the connection between the Jewish people and its holiest place and to create a false reality" in a statement Monday.
The resolution was submitted by Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. According to the leaders at B’nai B’rith International, its passage would result in "disastrous and irreparable consequences" for the U.N. entity’s reputation.
In addition to designating the Western Wall part of the Islam holy site, the resolution also exclusively condemns Israeli actions in Jerusalem. In recent weeks, Israelis have been the target of many terror attacks waged by Palestinians, and individuals on both sides of the conflict have perished because of the increased violence.
Last Tuesday, at least four separate attacks at the hands of Palestinian terrorists killed three Israelis and injured almost two dozen others.
Israel’s Ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama HaCohen called the resolution "a total Islamization" of the holy site and said that the resolution would offer a "stamp of authenticity" to Palestinian violence against Israelis. HaCohen said that "both sides will pay in blood" if UNESCO votes to pass the resolution.