Arab States Upset Over Candidacy of Jewish Woman for UNESCO Chief

"France is working to appoint former Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay to head the UNESCO organization, which has come under fire in recent years for its increasingly anti-Israel stance.

Azoulay served as French Minister of Culture from February 2016 until the inauguration of the new government of Emmanuel Macron.

Macaron met with Azoulay last week to plan France's strategy ahead of October. The UNESCO board of directors will choose the next leader of the organization for a four-year term...

France is the only European country that has submitted a candidate for the post. The other candidates were represented by China, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Guatemala, and four Arab states: Egypt, Qatar, Iraq and Lebanon. Azoulay's candidacy angered Arab and European diplomats who hoped that France would allow an Arab to be elected as the organization's leader for the first time in its history.

UNESCO has been criticized for passing multiple resolutions denying the connection of Israel and the Jewish people to Jerusalem..."