Jordan reports another Jerusalem victory at UNESCO

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday highlighted the importance of the UNESCO Executive Committee’s unanimous adoption of a draft resolution on Jerusalem.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Qatarneh said that the draft was the outcome of intensified Jordanian diplomacy over the past few weeks, which were achieved through full cooperation and coordination with Palestine, the Secretariat General, the Islamic and Arab groups and other supporting UNESCO member states.

The draft resolution is an addition to previous gains that were realised in the Jerusalem issue at UNESCO, and calls on Israel to halt its illegal and unilateral practices and violations against Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, and in other locations in the Old City, the spokesperson said.

The resolution also declares as illegitimate all Israeli procedures aimed at altering the Jerusalem character and its identity, and highlights the importance for UNESCO to speed up procedures to appoint a permanent representative in the city to detect all violations that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, the statement said.

It also refers to letters UNESCO director general received from the Jordanian and Palestinian missions this year on the situation in Jerusalem and Israeli violations.

The Kingdom registered the old city of Jerusalem and its walls on the World Heritage List in 1981, and a year later, on List of World Heritage in Danger, in a move that aims at protecting these sites from Israeli violations and practices.

Jordan’s Hashemite leadership is the internationally recognised custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy shrines in East Jerusalem.