A similar process of what Israel calls "Judaisation" is underway in the occupied territories. The settlers of Beitar Ilit threaten the Palestinians of Battir. Nearby, the Palestinians of Sussiya have been dislodged by a Jewish settlement of exactly the same name.
The stakes are highest in Jerusalem. The vast Western Wall plaza below Al Aqsa mosque was created in 1967 after more than 1,000 Palestinians were evicted and their quarter demolished. Millions of visitors each year amble across the plaza, oblivious to this act of ethnic cleansing.
Settlers, aided by the Israeli state, continue to encircle Christian and Muslim sites in the hope of taking them over.
That is the context for recent Unesco reports highlighting the threats to Jerusalem's Old City, including Israel's denial for most Palestinians of the right to worship at Al Aqsa.
Israel has lobbied to have Jerusalem removed from the list of endangered heritage sites. Alongside the US, it has whipped up a frenzy of moral outrage, berating Unesco for failing to prioritize the Hebrew names used by the occupation authorities.
Unesco's responsibility, however, is not to safeguard the occupation or bolster Israel's efforts at Judaization. It is there to uphold international law and prevent Palestinians from being disappeared by Israel.
Trump's decision to quit Unesco is far from his alone. His predecessors have been scuffling with the agency since the 1970s, often over its refusal to cave in to Israeli pressure.
Now, Washington has a pressing additional reason to punish Unesco for allowing Palestine to become a member. It needs to make an example of the cultural body to dissuade other agencies from following suit.
Trump's confected indignation at Unesco, and his shrugging off of its vital global programs, serve as a reminder that the US is not an "honest broker" of a Middle East peace. Rather it is the biggest obstacle to its realization.
A version of this article first appeared in the National, Abu Dhabi.
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