Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, Sen. Cruz Lead Bipartisan Letter to UNESCO Member States: Do Not Rewrite Jerusalem's History

Statement

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to members of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urging opposition to an item in UNESCO's provisional agenda, a resolution that would diminish the historic and verified Jewish and Christian ties to the Old City of Jerusalem in an effort to delegitimize Israel. Thirty-nine of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen's and Sen. Cruz's colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate joined them in sending the letter.

Statement by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen:

"I'm proud to lead this initiative with Ted and be joined by so many of our colleagues in sending this bipartisan and bicameral letter to these member delegations of UNESCO's Executive Board, urging them to do the right thing and oppose this shameful resolution which seeks to undermine Jewish and Christian ties to Jerusalem. The resolution's ill intent is unmistakable: to deny the historical record of the Jewish peoples' connections to their holiest city and to imply that Jerusalem is inconsequential to Jews and Christians, with the intent of laying the groundwork for additional UN efforts to delegitimize Israel and undermine its status as the capital of the Jewish State. Furthermore, this irresponsible and reprehensible resolution falsely lays the blame for the violence on Israel since last October while ignoring the acts of terror and violence that are being incited by the Palestinian Authority and Abu Mazen. UNESCO was created to build intercultural understanding yet, as is the case across the entire UN system, intolerance and intentionally corrosive behavior on the part of many of the organization's members has undermined its original mission and only further underscores the need for drastic reform throughout the entire UN system."

Statement by Sen. Cruz:

"I am proud to lead this bipartisan, bicameral effort with Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. The United Nations' obsessive hostility towards Israel will be on display yet again this week as UNESCO considers another blatantly biased resolution that unjustly singles out our close ally Israel with false accusations and criticism, and attempts to erase the specific deep-rooted, historical connection of Jews and Christians to Jerusalem, Israel's eternal capital. For thousands of years, Jerusalem has played a defining, central role in the history and identity of the Jewish people. For Christians, Jerusalem is a seminal spiritual site. This resolution flies in the face of, among other things, science as recent archeological excavations, notably in the City of David, have revealed incontrovertible, physical evidence that reaffirms Jewish and Christian ties to the holy city of Jerusalem. Members of the UNESCO Executive Board should vote against this intentional campaign to deny these historical truths, rewrite the history of Jerusalem, and delegitimize Israel."

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and Sen. Cruz also sent a separate letter to Ambassador Samantha Powers, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and U.S. Ambassador Crystal Nix-Hines, U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO, urging them to use the full voice, vote, and influence of the United States to defeat the measure.

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