A Jewish bride prays at the gravesite of the Matriarch Sarah, in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. (Wikipedia)
This isn’t the first time the Palestinians (and their brothers the Jordanians) through the vehicle of UNESCO, have tried to rebrand — wholesale — Jewish sites as Palestinian ones, eradicating any Jewish connection. In fact, it seems to be the primary activity since they joined UNESCO in 2011. Likely it was even the reason they lobbied so hard to become members.
It’s ironic, because the Palestinians use the vehicle of UNESCO to claim that Israel is “Judaizing” the land — but it’s Palestinians who seek to eradicate any Jewish connection or history — in other words, “de-Judaizing” the land.
And UNESCO, being a UN body whose majority of nation states are anti-Israel is playing along. It would be funny in its absurdity except that it’s a tragic demonstration of deep anti-Semitism.
The latest case is declaring Hebron, and the Cave of Machpelah (Tomb of the Patriarchs), a Palestinian site. The meeting where the proposal will be voted on is taking place next week in Cracow, Poland. As we wrote back in 2011, when UNESCO declared the tomb “exclusively Muslim”:
UNESCO’s aiding of these efforts at falsifying history by declaring, for example, the Cave of Machpela as an exclusively Islamic site, is where it truly reaches the ludicrous. If not the oldest recorded business transaction in history, the deal between Abraham and Ephron, detailed in the recent Torah portion Chayei Sarah, is certainly one of the oldest. Genesis even enumerates the amount of money Abraham spent — 400 silver shekels. Yet somehow the site is “exclusively Muslim”?
It has become evident that UNESCO preservation mission does not include preserving the truth. However, Jews and Israelis shouldn’t be too worried. Just like UNESCO’s 2011 declaration made no modicum of difference, neither will this one, declaring the tomb Palestinian. It makes more noise in the echo chamber, but who is listening?
Right as right can be!
Hebron certainly is “the Hebrew place”, since Hebron is where Abraham the “ Hebrew” settles for years after splitting with his nephew Lot. Genesis 14: 13 is the first place in the Bible where the word “Hebrew” is used, as Abraham is explicitly said to be a “Hebrew”. Hebron (Al-Khalil in Arabic) is located 32 km. south of Jerusalem in the Judean hills, and sits between 870 and 1,020 meters above sea level. The Hebrew word ‘Hebron’ is (inter alia) explained as being derived from the Hebrew word for ‘friend’ (‘haver’), a description for the Patriarch Abraham, who was considered to be the friend of God. The Arabic ‘Al- Khalil’ — literally ‘the friend’ — has a nearly identical derivation, and also refers to the Patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim), whom Muslims similarly describe as the friend of God. The city is called Hebron, not Al-Khalil. Hmmmmm. Did UNESCO even think of that?