UNESCO Director-General Bokova underscored the significance of respecting all religious connection to Jerusalem, while underscoring the Jewish historical links to the holy city.

The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova on Monday strongly condemned Iran’s International Holocaust Cartoon Contest in Tehran, saying it is a mockery of the Holocaust and fosters hatred.

Israel on Wednesday dispatched sharp letters to the 33 countries which supported a resolution by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that ignores Jewish historical ties to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Israel condemned a UNESCO resolution that declares holy Jewish sites as Muslim, saying it is a distortion of history which only adds fuel to the flames of violence in the region.

In an apparent diplomatic defeat, the Palestinians rescinded their demand to have the Western Wall declared a Palestinian site.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova strongly condemned another Palestinian attempt to distort history and have the Western Wall declared as belonging to them.