Trump Admin Stands With Israel Against UN Bid to Delegitimize Jewish State

"The Trump administration is taking aim at a United Nations body that is trying to deny Israel's sovereignty over holy sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to a letter by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is set to vote this week on a resolution proclaiming that Israel has no sovereignty over Jerusalem, its capital city, and a holy site located in Hebron, which is part of the West Bank.

The U.S. and Israeli governments have long criticized UNESCO for waging what they claim is a politically motivated effort to use its power in an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state and remove key territories from its possession.

The United States cut taxpayer funding to UNESCO after the organization accepted Palestine as a member state, a move that violated U.S. law barring the funding of any U.N. group that skirts the peace process by prematurely admitting Palestine as a full member nation.

UNESCO's latest resolution-which was spearheaded by the Palestinians and is likely to be approved by the body's majority of Arab nations-seeks to add the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a religious holy site located in Hebron, to its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger, a designation insinuating Israel poses a danger to the site.

The Trump administration is urging nations to vote against the resolution, which it views as anti-Israel and politically driven...

One senior Trump administration official familiar with Haley's efforts to stop the vote said the Palestinians are using UNESCO as a platform for Israel bashing..."