UNESCO resolution toned down

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Palestinians drop bid to name Western Wall part of Al-Aqsa. Controversial clause removed from UNESCO proposal, but vote on declaring Rachel’s Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs Muslim sites to go ahead (RAOUL WOOTLIFF AND RAPHAEL AHREN, Times of Israel).

The Palestinians have withdrawn their demand that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization declare the Western Wall an “integral part” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, Israeli officials said Wednesday.

The resolution — which the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) executive board is scheduled to vote on Wednesday — still contains a request to recognize Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron as Muslim sites. Israeli diplomats said they would continue to fight the resolution, and try to get allied states to reject it.

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The revision of the resolution may not have been unrelated to yesterday's story: UNESCO head ‘deplores’ proposal declaring Western Wall a Muslim site. But it sounds as though much that remains unchanged in the resolution also remains problematical. The problems are not new. Past posts pertaining to UNESCO and the Tomb of Rachel and the Tomb of the Patriarchs are here, here, and links.

Background on the current resolution is here and links.