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UNESCO resolution: Govt. says no change in Lanka’s stance on Palestine
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
Sri Lanka chose to abstain during voting on the United Nations Cultural Agency’s recent resolution on a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem due to the contentious wording of the text, and the decision does not signal a shift in its stand towards the Palestinian issue, the Government said yesterday.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mahishini Colonne stated the contentious wording in the text prompted Sri Lanka to abstain. “This is not something we wanted to take sides on and add to the already existing contention.”
The UNESCO resolution on “Occupied Palestine” was endorsed on Tuesday (18) by its executive board after being approved at the committee stage on October 13. Drafted by Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, the resolution was approved at the committee stage by 24 votes to 6, with 26 abstentions and two absentees. Sri Lanka was among the abstentions.
The resolution refers to Israel throughout as the “occupying power” and sharply criticises its policies around the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem. The compound is the third holiest site in Islam.
The controversial resolution, while acknowledging the importance of the Old City of East Jerusalem to “the three monotheistic religions” — Islam, Judaism and Christianity — only refers to the site by its Islamic names: Al-Aqsa or Al-Haram al-Sharif. Jews, however, refer to it as the Temple Mount and it is the holiest site in Judaism.
Israel has condemned the resolution, stating that it amounts to a denial of the site’s Jewish heritage. The country also chose to freeze co-operation with UNESCO in protest.
UNESCO Chief Irina Bokova too criticised the resolution, saying that “nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space.”
Ms. Colonne pointed out that even India, home to the world’s third largest Muslim community, opted to abstain along with many other countries. She, however, insisted that the decision did not signal any departure from Sri Lanka’s position on Palestine as the two issues were not connected.
Sri Lanka has always supported the Palestinian cause and continues to chair the United Nations Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, she added.
“We also supported Palestine’s entry into UNESCO. We have supported Palestine’s entry as observer state to the UN. Last year, we supported Palestine as an observer state to raise its flag alongside other member states at UN Headquarters. Our position on Palestine has not shifted at all.”
Ms. Colonne though, stressed, “If you look at our voting on everything else which deals directly with the issue of Palestine, we have always voted for and we continue to vote for. There are certain segments trying to politicise this, and that again, is not helpful.”
The abstention prompted criticism from some quarters who claimed that the move signaled a shift in Sri Lanka’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause.
State Minister A.H.M. Fowzie said he personally felt the decision was wrong.
“We have to condemn Israeli occupation of the Palestinians. I don’t know why we abstained. It is something we would have to ask the Foreign Minister,” he said.
The Muslim Progressive Front (MPF) on Friday condemned the Government’s decision. “This a terrible blow to the non-aligned policy followed throughout, beginning from the time of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike government,” MPF General Secretary and former MP, A.H.M. Azwer said in a statement.
Pointing out that even several traditionally Christian nations had backed the resolution while Sri Lanka chose to abstain, he called on Muslim organisations in Sri Lanka to pass resolutions condemning the Government’s failure to vote for it.