U.S. Jewish Groups Alarmed by UNESCO Frontrunner’s Anti-Semitic Ties

Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari
AP/Michel Euler

The Algemeiner reports: American Jewish groups are increasingly concerned that Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, the Qatari candidate for the next director-general of UNESCO — the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural organization — is growing closer to achieving his goal following his success in Tuesday’s second round of voting for the post.

Al-Kawari came first in the ballot, with 20 out of 58 votes on UNESCO’s Executive Board. His nearest rivals, Audrey Azoulay of France and Moushira Khattab of Egypt, won 13 and 11 votes respectively. The winner, expected to be announced by Friday, will be the first candidate to reach 30 votes.

In a statement on Wednesday on Al-Kawari’s candidacy, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman Stephen M. Greenberg and Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Malcolm Hoenlein blasted the support for Al-Kawari as “a disappointing example of political hypocrisy and expedience which threatens the future credibility and effectiveness of UNESCO.”

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