UNESCO’s 2016 decisions on Jerusalem criticized Israeli actions around holy sites and used Islamic terminology for the Temple Mount, including al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Haram al-Sharif. The texts also referred to the Old City’s importance to the three monotheistic religions. The dispute centered on which names and historical connections the resolutions foregrounded.
What the 2016 decisions said
In April 2016, UNESCO’s Executive Board adopted Decision 199 EX/19. In October, it adopted Decision 200 EX/25, submitted by several Arab states. The October decision repeatedly used “Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif” for the compound and called the Western Wall “Al-Buraq Plaza.” It criticized Israeli policy and archaeological work in Jerusalem. These were separate decisions, not one resolution adopted in a single vote.
The language’s emphasis on Muslim names gave little attention to Jewish terminology such as Temple Mount and Western Wall, despite the Jewish historical connection to the site. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova publicly stated that denying or erasing Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the site’s integrity. Her statement makes clear that all three traditions belong in the historical account.
Names, history and shared sites
The Western Wall is the western retaining wall of Herod’s enlarged Temple Mount platform and Judaism’s central place of public prayer. The adjacent compound is also sacred to Muslims, who know it as al-Haram al-Sharif and associate it with al-Aqsa Mosque. Naming one tradition’s connection does not erase the other’s. The Jewish Virtual Library’s overview summarizes the Wall’s Jewish religious and historical role.
UNESCO’s terminology deserves exact description: the decisions used Islamic site names and criticized Israel, while their framing gave limited space to Jewish names and history. For the archaeology of Herod’s enclosure, see how Herod built the Temple Mount enclosure.