UN organization: Israel is an 'occupying power'

On Tuesday, UNESCO passed a resolution that describes Israel as an “occupying power” and criticizes its actions in occupied Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported.

"The executive board decision now goes to the plenary, which will consider the issue on Friday," UNESCO spokesman Roni Amelan said.

The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan and was passed with 22 countries in favor, 10 voting against, and 23 abstaining.

The resolution criticized Israel’s refusal to cease “persistent excavations, tunneling, works, and projects in East Jerusalem," and condemned their continued "military operations in and around the besieged Gaza strip."

It also "reaffirmed the importance of Jerusalem to the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity."

"All legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which have altered or purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular the ‘basic law’ on Jerusalem, are null and must be rescinded forthwith."

The resolution is similar to a previous UNESCO decision passed last year, which sharply criticized Israel's management of Palestinian religious sites, including al-Aqsa mosque.

Throughout the 2016 resolution text, the mosque was only referred to by its Muslim names: al-Aqsa and al-Haram al-Sharif.

"Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews refer to the site as the Temple Mount."

The Israeli foreign ministry quickly reacted to the latest vote, calling the resolution an "unnecessary politicization of UNESCO."

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also lashed out at the resolution's passage via their >Arabic Twitter page, saying: “We reject UNESCO. We will uphold our truth, which is the TRUTH itself.”

The page also included a tweet that read: “there is no nation in the world for whom Jerusalem is more holy than the Jewish people. UNESCO is trying to deny this truth."

"The number of countries that supported this silly resolution at UNESCO are down from 32 last year to 22 this year, and one day they will to be down to zero."  

While Israel lashed out at UNESCO, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki welcomed the result of the vote.

"We will defend our heritage and culture, our past and our future," Malki said."

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, also welcomed the resolution saying, "we understand very well that we are struggling against a huge power supported by many countries, including the U.S. And we know that our success will be cumulative - step by step, stone by stone."

"We know it won't change the reality on the ground immediately, but this is certainly one step forward," he added.

In 2011, Palestine became a member state of UNESCO, which led the U.S. to suspend its funding to the organization.

Israel's occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the besieged Gaza Strip, is illegal under international law.