The Concerned Christians of Ghana have called on the Ghana government to consider the historical and religious bond between Ghana and Israel and ignore the Paris UNESCO resolution against the Jewish State over the controversy surrounding some holy sites.

According to Rev. Daniel Gyasi-Ankrah of the Triumph Bible Church, the UNESCO resolution on Israel was a denial of historical reality, adding that in international relation, nations should work for the benefit of their citizens.

“About 70 per cent of Ghanaians are Christians and so the stance of the Concerned Christians of Ghana is a spiritual one. A number of ethnic groups in Ghana trace their origins to Israel hence the need for government to take these dynamics into consideration when taking any decision on the Jewish State,” he said.

Rev Gyasi-Ankrah therefore called on the government to rectify this historical and diplomatic blunder by being sensitive to the sensibilities of its citizens. He also called on Christian leaders to wake up to their responsibilities in correcting this error.

The resolution criticized Israeli actions around the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount Complex in Jerusalem’s Old City with Israel claiming it deletes Jewish ties to holy sites.

Reverend Kwabena Kodua, Senior Pastor of Gracious Seed Exploits, Accra, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday that the history of Jerusalem predates Islam and cannot be denied.

“The first mention of Jerusalem in any text was in the book of Joshua in the Bible. Long before Islam existed the Jews had a temple on the temple mount.

“The first temple was built by King Solomon about 3,000 years ago. This second temple built by Jews returning from exile 2,500 years and was refurbished by King Herod and visited by Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark and others in the New Testament,” Rev Kodua said.

He noted that the temple was the area of activity of Jesus according to the New Testament and was visited by him as a holy site.

The Jewish temple has been captured in the works of many historians such as Tacitus, Josephus and Cicero. When the Muslims conquered the Holy Land they decided to build on the ruins of the temple- the Al Aqsa mosque and the dome of the rock.

According to him” That for itself cannot be a denial of the existence of the temple that Jesus made a number of pilgrimages, according to the New Testament. Denying the existence of the temple denies the very existence of Jesus and the very basis of Christianity. The fact that there is a dispute between Israel and the Palestinians does not warrant the Palestinians or any other nation the right to deny the history and the very foundation of Christianity. Moreover, this attempt at denying the rights of people of other faiths weakens the Palestinian case and portrays their arguments as based on lies and falsehood.”

Rev Kodua said: It is outrageous that anyone will seek a resolution to deny the Judeo-Christian history and it is quite unfortunate that Ghana did not stand to defend the truth and the heritage of the majority of its citizens and Christians around the world but rather chose for whatever reason to abstain from this important vote.

starrfmonline.com