Hamas condemns the Palestinian Authority for delaying a UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem

The Islamic Resistance Movement has condemned the delay by the Palestinian Authority’s UNESCO ambassador in seeking a resolution on Jerusalem at the UN body’s latest Executive Board meeting. Hamas considered the PA’s stance to be especially shocking because the tactic was given the green light from President Mahmoud Abbas himself.

The PA ambassador to UNESCO delayed asking for a resolution to be issued on Jerusalem at the 184th meeting of the organisation’s Executive Board, where it is usual practice for Palestine-related resolutions to be listed on the agenda every six months, after which the General Director presents his executive resolution on the mechanism for the follow-up and implementation of those resolutions.

---

In a press statement, Hamas urged all Palestinians in all national factions, to “condemn the PA’s conspiring [with the Israeli occupation] and expose it, and to deny such acts any public commitment and support.”

“Jerusalem cannot be manipulated by people who don’t represent the Palestinians,” said the Hamas statement, adding that the movement does not acknowledge any resolution that undermines the Palestinian people’s rights with regard to Jerusalem and all its sacred sites.

The latest delaying tactic at UNESCO follows the similar approach taken by the PA’s representative at the UN in New York who, said Hamas, “conspired against Gaza’s children and voted to postpone the UN vote on the Goldstone Report, which found credible evidence that the Israelis had committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in Gaza last year.” This, said Hamas, basically gave Israel the green light to carry on as before.

According to Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri, the behaviour of the PA’s UNESCO ambassador, Elias Sanbar, is evidence that the Palestinian Authority has become a political tool to serve the Israeli occupation. The PA, he added, is no longer trusted to pursue the interests of the Palestinian people. “The PA has not stopped at cooperating on security matters with the Israelis,” said Mr. Abu Zahri, “it has now turned to serving the occupation as a political entity.”