The US is beginning to exercise its leverage to prevent the passage of a UNESCO resolution declaring the Cave of the Patriarchs an exclusively Muslim and 'Palestinian' heritage site.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Monday sent a letter to UNESCO Secretary General Irina Bokova in which she stated that the Palestinian Authority was lying when it said that the Cave of the Patriarchs, one of the holiest sites in Judaism, was in danger of being destroyed by Israel.
"The Cave of the Patriarchs is not under immediate threat," Haley explained. She noted that there are other heritage sites in the Congo, Iraq, Libya and Syria which are under immediate threat and about which nothing has been done so far.
"While the US is committed to trying to raise the chances of a peace agreement that faithfully represents the interests of both Israel and the Palestinians, this move at UNESCO undermines these efforts and I hope that others will join the US in opposing this move," the ambassador wrote.
Israel's ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama Hacohen, told Arutz Sheva in response that "Nikk Haley's letter speaks for itself about the absurdity of the persecution of the Jewish state in every international arena, especially in UNESCO. Unfortunately, a new American ambassador to UNESCO has yet to be appointed, and if only we had an ambassador here who recalls Nikki Haley's determination and courage, then the conditions of the struggle would be completely different."
