UN anti-racism panel probes Israeli holy sites policy

A UNITED NATIONS anti-racism panel has questioned Israel’s policy on preserving holy sites, asking the country to explain whether it protects places considered sacred to religions other than Judaism.

Israel is expected later this week to go before the panel of 18 independent experts overseeing compliance with the United Nations’ 38-year-old anti-racism treaty — a hearing that could fuel the debate over an Israeli construction project at Jerusalem’s disputed hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

The project has prompted protests among Palestinians and others in the Muslim world.