Islamic countries condemn Israeli photo exhibition at UN headquarters

A group of Islamic countries at the UN have condemned Israel’s organising of a photo exhibition inside the international organisation’s headquarters which describes Jerusalem as a capital for the Jewish people, Al Jazeera.net reported on Friday.

According to Al Jazeera, the group considered this a flagrant violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which consider East Jerusalem and all the Palestinian territories controlled by Israel since 1967 as occupied lands.

On 3 April, the UN refused to show three photos in the gallery because they included images which contradict the UN’s positions. This led the Israeli ambassador to the UN sending a strong letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Under Israeli pressure, the UN reportedly accepted the three photos on Thursday, which led to criticism.

One of the photos reportedly includes an image of the Dome of the Rock with a sentence reading: “Jerusalem in the eternal capital of Israel”.

Another image shows a Bedouin citizen and a sentence which reads: “Israeli Arabs. Equality in Israel before law”.

Deputy UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the countries that organise such exhibitions are solely responsible for their content. This is the policy adopted regarding all member countries.