Premier Matteo Renzi had a "very
positive and constructive" phonecall with the head of the union
of Italian Jewish communities (UCEI) Noemi Di Segni Friday after
condemning a UNESCO vote on a Jerusalem holy site that made no
mention of its Jewish name, the Temple Mount, UCEI said.
Renzi said earlier Friday the recent UNESCO resolution
calling on Israel to stop excavating near holy sites in East
Jerusalem was "unreal".
"It's incomprehensible, unacceptable and wrong," Renzi told
private RTL 102.5 FM radio in an interview earlier in the day.
"Yesterday I expressly asked our people to immediately
cease maintaining these positions. We can't continue with these
motions designed to attack Israel. If European unity should come
undone over this, so be it," the Italian premier said, earning
the gratitude of Israel.
"We thank and congratulate the Italian government for this
important statement," said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman
Emmanuel Nahshon.
The text of the October 13 resolution "deplores the failure
of Israel, the Occupying Power, to cease the persistent
excavations and works in East Jerusalem particularly in and
around the Old City" and "strongly condemns the Israeli
escalating aggressions and illegal measures... against the
freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site
Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif".
The latter is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and the
fact that this was not included in the resolution sparked an
outcry from Israeli politicians as well as rabbis in Italy.
The resolution was backed by 24 countries including China
and Russia. Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the US
and the UK voted against it while 26 abstained, including Italy.
At the end of an EU summit later on Friday, Renzi said
Italy's abstention was based on "a position taken years ago (but
this) doesn't mean the time hasn't come to change it".
"We certainly realized this too late. It would have been
better to realize it sooner," he said, adding that the status of
Jerusalem is "undeniable" and comparing the Middle Eastern city
to "a treasure chest".
Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni praised Renzi for
speaking out on "the risks inherent in dogmatic religious
visions, political commingling, and the moral principle that
history and values are not for sale - in this case, not just
Jewish but also Christian ones".
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