Israel recalls UNESCO ambassador in protest at Jerusalem resolutions

According to a text provided by Palestinian officials, the resolution adopted by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Paris refers to the compound - revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) - only as a "Muslim holy site of worship", just as a similar motion did on Oct. 13.

The latest vote, like the first, deals with the safeguarding of the city's religious heritage.

"The theater of the absurd continues," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. "We'll decide what to do, what our next steps will be, vis a vis this organization."

UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, is regarded by many Israelis as hostile. Arab members of UNESCO and their supporters frequently condemn Israel.