Arab Mob Destroys Joseph's Tomb

Joseph's Tomb desecrated by Palestinian mobs October 7, 2000

If UNESCO's decision prevails, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's tomb face the same tragedy that befell Joseph's Tomb on October 7th, 2000. Under the Oslo Agreement, the Palestinian Authority (PA) was to protect holy sites, Jewish and Christian, and ensure access by all. However, when Israeli forces pulled out of the area, Palestinians mobs overran the site, killed a soldier, and ransacked the place, burning Jewish prayer books, and reducing the sacred site to a smoldering heap of rubble. An Associated Press dispatch reported, "the dome of the tomb was painted green and bulldozers were seen clearing the surrounding area," as the Palestinian Arabs sought to transform the biblical resting place of Joseph into a Muslim conquest.

The destruction of Joseph's Tomb was one piece of a calculated campaign by Muslim Arabs to write everyone else out of the history of the land of Israel. The same fate waits for Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb if we do not vigilantly protect our sacred sites.
UNESCO Defying its Mission to Preserve Heritage
by Denying Jewish Heritage
The UNESCO mission states: "Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration."

There must be no exception in UNESCO's mission when it comes to Jewish heritage. Israel's Jewish legacy must be recognized and preserved and not swept away to conform with the pro-Palestinian narrative. In attempting to sever the Jewish cultural, religious and natural heritage bond with the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb, UNESCO denies the history it is mandated to preserve, engages in a political maneuver designed to weaken a member UN nation, and undermines its own principles. It aims to rob the Jewish people not only of two sacred sites, which are irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration, but also of their past and a legacy to pass on to future generations. We demand that UNESCO, whose purpose it is to protect heritage, also protect Jewish heritage, rather than deny it.

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