United Nations cultural agency has adopted a resolution criticizing Israeli excavation of Palestinian religious sites at al-Aqsa and al-Haram al-Sharif. <br/><br/>Palestine's deputy ambassador to UNESCO, Mounir Anastas, told reporters the resolution reminds Israel that they are the occupying power in East Jerusalem and it asks them to stop all their violations, including archaeological excavations around religious sites. <br/><br/>The UNESCO resolution also condemned Israel for restricting Muslim access to the site and for aggression by Israeli police and soldiers while also recognising Israel as the occupying power.