The excavations on Haomer Street
The excavations on Haomer StreetAssaf Peretz (with permission of the Antiquities Authority)

Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Yisrael Hasson on Wednesday slammed UNESCO for its resolution on Jerusalem holy sites, comparing the UN cultural body to Islamic State jihadists.

During the opening ceremony of the new IAA headquarters in Jerusalem, Hasson said the UN's newest resolution puts the organization in league with the ISIS jihadists.

ISIS jihadists destroyed and looted hundreds of archaeological sites in both Iraq and Syria in order to fund their terror "regime."

“Around us, world heritage treasures are being destroyed… They murdered Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, who tried to protect heritage. And recently UNESCO in essence joined this system of destruction by diplomatic means. This is essentially the same action by a diplomatic course,” Hasson said.

Born in Damascus, Hasson is a former MK and deputy director of Shabak.

Last week, the UN declared Israel has no connection to the Western Wall or Temple Mount, referring to these sites only by their Muslim names and ignoring thousands of years of history.