Monday, October 31, 2011

Palestine Is Admitted to UNESCO on 107-14 Vote; US Opposed, Threatened to End UNESCO Funds

Palestine today (October 31, 2011) won full admission to UNESCO -- the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- according to the Yahoo News website. The 107 to 14 vote is an impressive victory and carries larger implications for the Palestinians' bid for state recognition before the UN Security Council.

Both the U.S. and Israel have opposed both initiatives. The U.S., Israel, Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Australia were among the 14 nations voting against the Palestinians' UNESCO bid.

Washington -- which called the UNESCO vote "premature" today -- had threatened to cut off U.S. funding to UNESCO if Palestine were granted membership.

The U.S. accounts for about 20 percent of UNESCO's funds.

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