The Arab Group at UNESCO,, Tuesday, called on the world to force Israel to respect the sanctity of Jerusalem and the sites of Islamic and Christian significance.
At the 216th session of UNESCO’s Executive Council, Kuwait’s Permanent Delegate at UNESCO Ambassador Dr. Adam Al-Mulla delivered statement by the group condemning the continuous Israeli disrespect of holy sites namely Al-Aqsa mosque and churches in Jerusalem.
He indicated that the Arab group insisted that resolutions concerning Palestinian and occupied lands should be implemented and respected by the Israeli occupying forces, stressing the need of assigning a permanent UNESCO Director’s representative at Old City of Jerusalem.
Al-Mulla also insisted on UNESCO to document all violations perpetrated by Israeli against religious and historical sites in the city.
The Kuwaiti official lauded the efforts by the Kingdom of Jordan and King Abdullah II in defending holy sites in Jerusalem, affirming that Jordan had been historically involved in maintaining, protecting, and restoring Jerusalem’s most significant structures.
Al-Mulla also commended Morocco’s King Mohammad VI for chairing the committee to defend Jerusalem’s holy sites, saying that the city was a symbol of joint human heritage and peaceful co-existence amongst religions.
Al-Mulla said that it was important to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people especially during the 75th anniversary Al-Nakba (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced and thousands of towns and sites of historical significance were destroyed.
Shifting the focus to Sudan, Al-Mulla indicated that the Arab group called on UNESCO to intensify its efforts within its jurisdiction to protect heritage and historic sites from being destroyed.
The Kuwaiti official also touched on the Arab group interest in viewing the final results of the reframing process funded by the UAE concerning cultural and artistic education, affirming that the necessity of supporting such endeavors.
On the strategy to manage human resources, the Arab group reaffirmed its commitment to the process, saying that there should be a focus on achieving gender equality and geographic representation within this regard.
Al-Mulla concluded his statement with the need for UNESCO to intensify its efforts within the Arab region especially in sustaining its on field network, expressing sorrow towards not notifying regional UNESCO members of the organization’s plans via its regional office in Cairo.
Source: Kuwait News Agency