Israel Halts UNESCO Ties Over ‘Denied Holy Sites’

Israel has halted its ties to UNESCO over an reported denial of Jewish holy sites, officials said. An education minister said the UN agency drafted a decision that "denies history and encourages terror." UNESCO reportedly approved a text that used the Islamic name, not the Jewish one, for a hilltop complex that is known as the holiest site in Judaism. The Temple Mount and Haram al-Sharif are both names for the holy site. The text also criticizes Israeli activities at other holy sites in the West Bank and in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cultural agency is now a "theatre of the absurd" and making "another delusional decision."