Al Mezan Condemns Israel’s Cancellation of UNESCO Visit to Jerusalem’s Old City, Calls on UNESCO to take Necessary Measures to Ensure Accountability

On Monday, 20th May 2013, the Israeli occupation authorities called off a visit by a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) delegation to the Old City of Jerusalem which was supposed to take place on May 19th 2013.
The Israeli authorities agreed to allow the UNESCO delegation to tour Jerusalem’s Old City in return for delaying the discussion of five resolutions against Israel at the UN last April.
On 23rd April, the Israeli authorities said they would allow the UNESCO visit which was requested by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take place in order to inspect Jerusalem’s Old City’s historical sites undergoing rehabilitation and preservation processes.
However, the visit was abruptly cancelled yesterday.
The Israeli authorities’ claimed that the UNESCO and the Palestinian Authority violated the terms of the understanding upon which the visit was agreed.
Moreover, its senior officials stated that the visit has been “postponed” for several months due to what they called the “politicization” of the UNESCO visit and trying to “change the nature of the visit,” Israeli media reported.
In October 2011, Palestine was admitted as a full member at UNESCO with 107 votes in favor, 14 against and 52 abstentions.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly denounces the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to call off the UNESCO visit which, we believe, should be seen in light of its continuous attempts to conceal its ongoing practices and grave violations of international law and, most importantly, its systematic policy aimed at the judaization of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Israel continues with its persistent attempts to change the cultural makeup of the Old City by its judaization policies of both the historical and religious sites of the city, the excavation practices it carries out under the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the nonstop settler attacks against both the Palestinian inhabitants of the Old City and its Islamic and Christian sites.
This is in addition to Israel’s policy of expulsion and forcible transfer of the Palestinian inhabitants which is intently and gravely destroying the Arabic character of the Old City.
Israel’s cancellation of the visit highlights its complete disregard for its obligations under International Law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to maintain and protect the historical and religious sites in the occupied territories and to refrain from destroying them or changing their character.
Al Mezan therefore calls on the International Community, specifically UNESCO to take all necessary measures in order to bring to an end Israel’s violations of international law.
Al Mezan calls on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to join the International Criminal Court in order to pursue Israeli officials who have committed or ordered war crimes in the oPt and bring them to justice.