Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday evening denounced the resolution by the UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, which denies Israel's rights to Jerusalem, and called on the Jewish community in the world to fight the efforts to delegitimize Israel.
His comments came at the Yakir Keren Hayesod Award ceremony in the Old City of Jerusalem.
"Yesterday, a bad decision was made in UNESCO, that we have no connection to Jerusalem. The purpose of this decision is to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel. Traditional anti-Semitism has been replaced by anti-Israelism, but the two are exactly the same. In order to deal with this, we need assistance of the Jewish communities around the world,” said Liberman.
"We greatly value your contribution to the State of Israel, but no less important, is your commitment to the Jewish state and Jewish values. We need this strong commitment and support to meet our real challenges,” he continued.
"If I came to Israel as a young 20-year-old man, who does not speak the language and doesn’t know anyone here, and tonight I stand here in front of you as defense minister, this proves that the possibilities in Israel are unlimited."
The resolution passed Tuesday declares that "all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular the “basic law” on Jerusalem, are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith."
The resolution also condemns Israel for the military conflicts with the Hamas terrorist organization, which rules Gaza. 22 countries voted in favor of the resolution, compared to 10 which voted against it. 23 countries abstained.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to deduct $1 million from the funds that Israel transfers to the UN.
“Israel will not sit by while the organization calls for the denial of our sovereignty in Jerusalem,” he stressed.