"The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city. To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list," Bokova said her statement.
She further stressed that Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy texts all offer testimony as to the religions' presence in Jerusalem.
The statement added that UNESCO's main role is to promote promote "tolerance and respect for history."
The resolution, which was put forward by Palestine along with Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Sudan, was approved by 24 members of the 58-member organization, including Russia. Twenty-six countries abstained from voting, while only six countries voted against it.
