U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Resolution On Jewish Ties To Jerusalem

Just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the pullout of his country from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Republican lawmakers introduced legislation reaffirming the ancient Jewish connection to Jerusalem. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) responded to the move by the White House—which cited UNESCO’S perceived anti-Israel bias in its decision-making process—by co-authoring the bill which also accuses the UN organization of redefining Jewish holy sites in Israel and the West Bank as Islamic in nature. In July, for example, UNESCO recognized Hebron—where the biblical Jewish patriarch Abraham is believed to be buried—as a Palestinian world heritage site. Following Trump’s declaration, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNESCO, confirmed that Israel would also leave the body; this, somewhat ironically, on the same day that the UN organization elected its first Jewish head, former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay.