A delegation currently in Israel for the 31st International Mayors Conference will present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a resolution on Thursday, stating their opposition to a resolution passed last month by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization that denies Jews and Christians have any connection to the Old City of Jerusalem, and references religious sites there only by their Arabic names. The Conference is organized by the American Jewish Congress and American Council for World Jewry, in collaboration with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Union of Local Authorities in Israel
The mayors also resolved “to work to end politically inspired falsehood and distortions, and to speak the truth about all relevant history.” The Conference’s resolution objects to UNESCO creating religious and political discord by injecting false narratives as part of a disinformation campaign by biased parties. The delegation also resolved that, “UNESCO must cease repeatedly exacerbating tensions, as evidenced by the most recent news of disputing Israeli heritage of the Dead Sea Scrolls, one of the major archaeological discoveries of the 20th century that sheds light on the biblical era.”