Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan on Wednesday night lambasted UN bodies for consistently supporting numerous anti-Israel resolutions, saying they don't change anything and only perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Erdan made his remarks at the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee, where 139 UN countries adopted a resolution referring to Jerusalem's Temple Mount solely by its Muslim name of Haram al-Sharif.
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It was one of seven pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel resolutions the Committee in New York passed on Wednesday. Endorsing the "resolutions package" was the Palestinian Authority and countries such as Cuba, Indonesia and others.
"What is the point of these resolutions? Just to pave the way for future resolutions?" Erdan asked. "By supporting these resolutions you are not only wasting UN resources, you are also sabotaging any changes of future peace."
"Instead of persuading the Palestinians to choose the path of negotiations and peace, these resolutions only encourage them to harden their positions. Every voice in favor of these resolutions is another step toward turning the UN into an irrelevant body," Erdan said.
Erdan assailed the UN for supporting a resolution pertaining to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), saying that "one of the biggest reasons for the UN's failure in ending the conflict is its continued support of UNRWA. Simply put, UNRWA's very existence makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict unsolvable, and I don't intend to allow business as usual anymore."
"Instead of functioning like the UN's refugee agency to integrate refugees in their countries of residency, UNWRA exaggerates the number of 'refugees' and automatically recognizes every Palestinian descendant as a refugee, even those who have already become permanent residents of other countries," Erdan added.
As for the resolution referring to the Temple Mount by its Muslim name only, Erdan denounced it as an "audacious attempt to rewrite history" and erase the centuries-old Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
"As Minister of Public Security, I ensured that all religions had access to Jerusalem's holy sites," said Erdan.
"During my term, the number of Jews visiting the Temple Mount each year more than tripled. No resolution passed here will stop that process. No resolution passed here will change the eternal connection between the Jewish people and the holiest site of our faith – the Temple Mount. They will also not change the fact that today, our connection to Jerusalem is stronger than ever. A growing number of countries are moving their embassies to Jerusalem, our united and undivided capital," the ambassador said.
"Unlike this chamber," he added, "which is detached from reality, a growing number of nations are acknowledging that Jerusalem is the undeniable capital of the Jewish people and the Jewish state. As Minister of Public Security, I ensured that all religions had access to Jerusalem's holy sites."
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