Trump Opens Fire on International Backing for Islamicizing UNESCO, Iran

Donald Trump (Image credit: Gage Skidmore)

The administration of US President Donald Trump notified the UN cultural body UNESCO on Thursday that it will withdraw its membership, citing the “continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO.”

The move, which will take effect on the last day of 2018, is more than a mere political kerfuffle – indeed, it could be argued that it constitutes part of an emerging campaign by Trump to combat the international legitimacy granted to cultural and military Islamicization, in a two-pronged confrontation with both UNESCO and Iran.

On the cultural level, UNESCO has blatantly acted as an international rubber stamp for the 50 Muslim majority countries worldwide, and those beholden to them and their oil, as they ram through an agenda of Islamicization that has honed in on Israel as its prime target.

Indeed, “anti-Israel bias” puts UNESCO’s stance lightly.

The UN body has declared numerous ancient Jewish holy sites in Israel to be exclusively Muslim sites in recent months, in a display of historical revisionism for the benefit of Islam that brings to mind that of the brutal Muslim terrorist organization ISIS. In Syria and Iraq, ISIS has left in its wake a path of destroyed ancient sites of archaeological significance, including the tomb of the prophet Jonah, in an attempt to eradicate all non-Muslim (or non ISIS-style Muslim) remnants.

In a somewhat similar vein, UNESCO recently declared the Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism – as well as the Western Wall to be Muslim by only referring to them by their Muslim names, erasing the millennia-old Jewish connection to them. It has rejected the Jewish claim to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Likewise it has declared the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron – where the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs other than Rachel are buried – and the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem to be Muslim sites.

It would have passed two more anti-Semitic historical revisionist resolutions further replacing Jewish history with Islamicization this past week, if it were not holding elections for a new head.

Outgoing UNESCO head Irina Bokova of Bulgaria responded to the US withdrawal by saying: “At the time when conflicts continue to tear apart societies across the world, it is deeply regrettable for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations agency promoting education for peace and protecting culture under attack.”

And yet during Bokova’s term, UNESCO admitted “Palestine” as a member state in 2011 (leading the US to pull funding), and has been the most prominent voice on the international scene “attacking culture” – more specifically, Jewish culture – by overseeing resolution after resolution aimed at denying the historical connection of the Jewish people to their land.

The timing of Trump’s UNESCO move is also significant. As noted, it comes amidst voting for UNESCO’s new head, with Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari of Qatar beating his competitors from France and Egypt in a semi-final round of voting. The final vote is scheduled to be held on Friday. Qatar has been a key backer of Hamas and has recently been isolated by Gulf States for its open support for terror groups,including ISIS, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaeda.

However, with America cutting ties with UNESCO, the prolific anti-Israel screed spewed there, which is likely to ratchet up to a higher level under Qatari supervision, will become more and more irrelevant as the body’s anti-Israeli Islamicizing bent is given wider international recognition, and its legitimacy is downgraded.

Following on Trump’s heels, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced in a statement from his office late Thursday that he has given orders to have Israel withdraw from UNESCO as well. While Israel was likely involved in the American decision, the fact that it waited for the US to take the plunge was a classic rearguard move that could give former US President Barack Obama’s “leading from behind” a run for its money.

Prong Two: Iran

In a similar fashion to his step against the international apparatus of UNESCO, which is giving a green light to a cultural Islamicization targeting Israel, Trump is poised on Friday to take a step against the international apparatus of the Iran nuclear deal, which has given a green light to the missile and nuclear technology buildup of the Islamist regime targeting Israel.

The Iran deal has given the Shi’ite state international legitimacy as it blithely advances its missile program and develops nuclear weapons capabilities at sites such as Parchin, without proper inspection and supervision.

In a similar manner to UNESCO’s campaign to oversee the Islamic historical and cultural replacement of Israel, the Iran deal largely facilitates Iran’s stated goal of militarily wiping out Israel and replacing it with a Muslim state.

Iran’s goals of Islamicizing have involved expanding Shi’ite military influence - and consequently political influence - in the region, from Hezbollah to the Houthis. With its sights set on nuclear power, Iran apparently is seeking to expand from a regional hegemony to becoming an international Islamic superpower.

UNESCO and Iran can be said to be components of a cultural and military confrontation, and Trump’s moves would seem to indicate the US is finally taking an active role in trying to undermine the international legitimacy enjoyed by the forces of Islamicization.

However, there does not appear to be cause for a full celebration quite yet.

According to reports, in his speech Friday Trump is not expected to fully reject the Iran nuclear deal and withdraw from it. Rather, he apparently will call for specific sanctions and urge Congress to legislate a tougher stance that may spell the end of the deal.

If the reports play out, they would signal yet another unfortunate non-delivery of one of Trump’s campaign promises – similar to his as yet unrealized promise to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

And yet, with the US adopting an ever more open tone in calling out the Islamicizing forces and derailing the international legitimacy proffered to them, the stage may be set for Israel to start taking a more forceful stance of its own and directly confronting those who historically, culturally, and militarily deny its right to exist.

That is, if it is ready to stop leading from behind.