Palestine Statehood Bid: U.S. Cuts Off UNESCO Funding After Palestine Vote

[ensho]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/us-unesco-funding_n_1067628.html


Palestine became a full member of UNESCO on Monday in a highly divisive breakthrough that will cost the agency a fifth of its budget and that the U.S. and other opponents say could harm renewed Mideast peace efforts.

Soon after the vote, the United States cut funding to the organization because of a U.S. law that bars funding an organization that has Palestine as a member before an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is reached.

That decision will have an immediate effect: The United States won't make a $60 million payment scheduled for November, according to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

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Huge cheers went up in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after delegates approved the membership in a vote of 107-14 with 52 abstentions. Eighty-one votes were needed for approval in a hall with 173 UNESCO member delegations present. In a surprise, France voted "yes" – and the room erupted in cheers and applause – while the "no" votes included the United States, Israel, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany.

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I'm embarrassed for my country being so cruel

[joeybee12]

1. I think you could say this passed overwhelmingly...nt

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ensho]

3. no - I think Israel is in the wrong and so is the US

nt

[atreides1]

4. I think the reference was to the US

There are attacks committed by both sides that can be considered ruthless, but I guess that doesn't really matter for those who have already chosen a side.

It seems that America's ability to coerce the rest of the world isn't what it use to be.

[RC]

5. And that is a good thing.

"It seems that America's ability to coerce the rest of the world isn't what it use to be."

If we keep going the way we have been, we will implode just as the USSR did. That won't be so good.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Black letter US law

and UNESCO will now be cut from any future appropriations bills so the administration will no be able to restore the funding.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Arab Spring. Good. Democracy. Good. But..not for Palestinians.