Unesco's bid for Jerusalem 'a message to US, Israel'

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) adopting a bid for Jerusalem is a message to the US and Israel, a senior Palestinian official has said.

Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Presidency, on Thursday said in an official statement that the ongoing international decisions against Israel's occupation and its policies "is a clear message that the international community does not accept protecting the occupation and creating a status of chaos and instability".

Abu Rdineh called on the US to review "its wrong policies that encourage Israel to keep its occupation of the Palestinian territories", Xinhua news agency reported.

He also said the bid "is a clear message to Israel that it must end its occupation and recognise the Palestinian state with east Jerusalem, including its holy Islamic and Christian places, as its capital".

"Israel must end its policies against the Palestinians, which only contribute to a negative atmosphere of instability and these policies are certainly rejected by the international community," said Abu Rdineh.

Earlier on Thursday, Unesco adopted a joint Arab-Palestinian bid that denies any historic link or ties between the Jewish people and the holy places and sites in Jerusalem, according to Israel Public Radio.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party welcomed the resolution, and said in an emailed press statement that "it is an important victory to the Palestinian people and those who stay protecting al-Aqsa Mosque".

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, to be the capital of their independent state, while Israel insists that united Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel.

--IANS

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