UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) just cancelled an upcoming Jewish exhibit at the last minute, after caving under the intense pressure from the Arab League. The exhibit–co sponsored by the Los Angeles based Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO–on the theme of the land of Israel 3500-year connection to the Jewish people, was set to open in Paris on January 20th. This rather unusual “last minute” cancellation raises several concerns about UNESCO cannot be ignored.
I find it most peculiar for UNESCO to co-labor with the Simon Wiesenthal Center on such an exhibit to the point of having the whole thing set-up and invitations sent-out, and then make an about face just days before the opening. I find it peculiar not because UNESCO should go with such an exhibit but exactly for the opposite reason. In light of the stance UNESCO has taken on the Middle East in the last couple of years, they should have never even considered getting involved in such a project.
It was in October 2011 that UNESCO surprised the world by including the Palestinian authority to its roaster of member nations. This of course was all done in the name of cultural diversity and tolerance, to also prove to the world that the image of the Palestinian Authority and some Palestinians are grossly exaggerated. This was why the Palestinian Youth magazine know as Zayzafouna featured an article in which a ten-year-old Palestinian girl said that Hitler told her in a dream: “I killed them [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation who spreads destruction all over the world.” The magazine, we were told, promoted democracy and tolerance. Why is it then, that a young girl could write about Hitler being her role model?
Then in 2012, UNESCO declared that the Jewish site of Rachel’s tomb was also a Christian AND Muslim site and that to say otherwise would be a hindrance to the peace process. Palestinians decided that the site was holy to them and was part of their heritage, even though Islam was only founded 1500 years ago. The site goes back way further than 1500 years and is mentioned in Genesis 35:19 as the place where the Jewish matriarch was buried. It has zero Palestinian connection!
To add insult to injury, UNESCO decided in 2013 that Israel and the United States–while retaining their membership–will lose their voting power because they had both stopped paying their dues after the 2011 inclusion of Palestine. I guess they [UNESCO] got a bit upset when the US contribution equal to 22% of their total budget stopped. I commend the United States and Israel for taking a stand in an age of cowardice and hypocrisy.
Maybe this move has something to do with the fact that UNESCO has chosen 2014 to be the “International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People”. General Assembly President John Ashe declared that: “Now is the time for vision, compromise and deepening of respect. Let us make this year – 2014 – the decisive year for achieving peace between Israel and Palestine,….I implore all those who have a stake in this outcome – Governments, international organizations, and people everywhere – to do their part.” What is next, “Terrorist Appreciation Day”?
Really Mr. Ashe, how honest is such a statement when the last move by UNESCO appeared to be such a biased decision? What seems to be the problem with such an exhibit as this new one entitled “People, Book, Land – The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel”?
UNESCO has a clear agenda hinging around the promotion and acceptance of Palestine as a bona fide state with voting power at the United Nations and frankly, they are almost there. By inviting Palestine to be recognized at the UNESCO level, they opened a door–maybe not the front door, but a door nonetheless–to an inclusion of Palestine at the United Nations. It is only a matter of time now. It is no longer if but only when!
I think that UNESCO cancelled the exhibit for two main reasons: Fear of the Arab League and fear of the truth.
There is a common denominator between many government agencies and organizations around the world. They seem to all flex to the demands of Islam without ever questioning the motives, along with allowing statements and actions that promote hatred, xenophobia and even killings. These moves are mostly motivated by fear, a fear that is the result of intimidation. That fear continues to lead us to submission to an ideology that belongs to the dawn of the middle Ages.
But consider also the fear of the truth. What could possibly be brought to the public in an exhibit on the Jewish people, the land of Israel and the Bible? This exhibit was organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and UNESCO, under the leadership of Hebrew University professor and anti-Semitism expert Robert Wistrich. Mr. Wistrich is a first class scholar with a superb reputation. One of his many works: ” A Lethal Obsession: Anti-Semitism from Antiquity to the Global Jihad” demonstrates the quality of his research and the unbiased approach to the age-old issue of Anti-Semitism. He has no axe to grind and simply wants to make the truth available to more people.
I believe that the very truth about Israel being a piece of land granted to the Jewish people by God Himself through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob scares UNESCO. They do not want to face the truth about the Jewish people’s legitimacy, history and archeology in Eretz Yisrael. If they were to face the truth, they would then have to make a decision to support Palestine based on a series of lies. But hey, they wouldn’t be the first ones to move from ignorance to hypocrisy to cowardice and even malice in regards to Israel’s right to exist.
I don’t think that UNESCO is even using double standards when it comes to Israel. They have chosen to side with the enemies of Israel in the name of peace. What peace?
Prime minister Netanyahu was spot on about UNESCO’s decision when he said: “The one-sided approach toward Israel does not advance peace – it pushes peace further away. It strengthens the refusal of the PA to make actual progress in the negotiations.”
UNESCO’s latest move is an outrage that has nothing to do with education, science or culture and everything to do with politics and political correctness. Last time I checked, God never wanted us to be politically correct but simply biblically correct. He even gave us a manual for it!
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
Concerning your statement, ‘ I believe that the very truth about Israel being a piece of land granted to the Jewish people by God Himself through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ‘ I also believe that too however have you considered that the Covenant which was made between God and Moses an agreement from both sides. Otherwise what is a covenant? God also specified in such great and elaborate detail how the physical record of this agreement was to be kept (The Ark of the Covenant) for safe keeping amongst other things, was that just for a bit of a diversion? I think not. I’m sorry to say that the Jewish people failed to keep the physical record of this agreement. Failed to treasure it and failed to treat it with the respect it should have had. Wake up and smell the coffee. Why should God uphold his part of the agreement when you failed in yours. The sooner Jewish people stop being so arrogant as to assume that the agreement still stands even after you failed to look after the physical record of this the sooner they will have more balanced outlook of the world. Yes the Jews were chosen….chosen to look after the Ark of the Covenant. Once you failed to do that then perhaps you were no longer chosen. If the tablets were not important why would He say ‘ And Hashem said unto Moshe, Write thou these devarim; for according to these devarim I have cut a brit with thee and with Yisroel.;’ Don’t you see that keeping the physical proof was part of the agreement? Just as in circumcision the physical proof of the Jewish part of the agreement is important.