Interesting details here from @BarakRavid, the decision to leave UNESCO was short-sighted, Israel has many important UNESCO sites and was seeking to add more and then left the organization rather than seeking reform from within. Israel lost out here, and it is good to return.
https://twitter.com/ShalomLipner/status/1420431575385268231
I've covered Israel's #UNESCO sites in the past; jpost.com/magazine/world…
And I've always argued the decision was shortsighted, jpost.com/arab-israeli-c…
Also here; jpost.com/opinion/israel…
If an organization is biased against Israel, the best way to deal with it isn't just to leave, but to work with friends and partners and make the organization better. Israel has a lot to offer, including in historic preservation UNESCO issues; it's so much better to work with
There are so many opportunities for Israel inside the Green Line to do good with UNESCO...of course when it comes to Jerusalem and West Bank there are going to be anti-Israel motions. But that's how things go. Use the good, ignore or confront the bad.
Absolutely nothing was gained by Israel leaving...except putting enemies of Israel in the driver's seat. The lesson they learned was all they have to do is critique Israel and then Israel will just leave....how does that "win" anything?
The petulant decision to leave was motivated by some drunken ideas of the Trump era...this unilateral isolationism wasn't helpful at all for Israel on cases like this. Israel wants friends and partners, not to be alone...
Remember, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that she deeply regretted Israel's decision to withdraw...it was so ridiculous of Israel not to have just sought to work with her. So shortsighted. Can't say it enough.
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