MikePaterson
UNESCO accepts Palestine
Posted on: 11/01/2011 11:48
On Monday, 31 October:
PARIS — Palestine became the 195th full member of UNESCO on today, as the United Nations organization defied a mandated cutoff of American funds under federal legislation from the 1990s. The vote of Unesco’s full membership was 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions.
The step will cost the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization one-quarter of its yearly budget — the 22 percent contributed by the United States (about $70 million) plus another 3 percent contributed by Israel. Victoria Nuland, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said that American contributions to Unesco, including $60 million scheduled for this month, would not be paid.
Cheers filled the hall at Unesco’s headquarters here after the vote, with one delegate shouting, “Long live Palestine!” in French. The Palestinian foreign minister, Riad al-Malki, praised the organization, saying that “this vote will help erase a tiny part of the injustice done to the Palestinian people” and that it would help protect world heritage sites in Israeli-occupied territory.
In a long speech, Mr. Malki said that “this membership will be the best step toward peace and stability,” insisting that the Palestinian request for membership in Unesco was “linked in no way to our request to join the United Nations.”
Then on 1 November, the following news:
The main phone network in the West Bank and Gaza has suffered a sustained attack by computer hackers, the Palestinian Authority (PA) says.
It says most of the Palestinian territory has lost internet service.
PA spokesman Ghassan Ghattib said the attacks started in the morning and came from multiple sources around the world.
He said he did not know if the hacking was linked to the Palestinian leadership's successful bid to get membership of Unesco on Monday.
The move by the UN's cultural and scientific organisation was strongly criticised by Israel and the United States.
The US immediately announced it was cutting off all of its funding to UN body.
Prolonged lack of access to the internet would prove costly to many Palestinian businesses.
The PA says the crash has been caused by computer hackers sabotaging the Paltel telephone network. Engineers are working to resolve the problem.
There seems to be a lot of malice aginst Palestine. Its virulence precludes rhetoric about "peaceful solutions"... which would necessarily include recognition of the RIGHT of the Palestinian people to statehood (as per the original partition BY THE U.N. — the original UN resolution stipulated the establishment of two separate states, one Arab and one Jewish. That principle has been systematically eroded away to nothing...
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Comments
Arminius
Posted on: 11/01/2011 12:17
About time! I hope this will be the first step toward Palestine attaining full statehood.
MikePaterson
Posted on: 11/01/2011 19:24
CANADA's response:
NEWS: Canada will be cutting voluntary contributions to UNESCO following Monday's decision to give the Palestinians a seat on the organization, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says. Baird said that Canada will not reduce its currently assessed contributions, but it will not be offering any new voluntary contributions to cover shortfalls.
"Canada's deeply disappointed by the decision taken by UNESCO," Baird said on Tuesday. "Canada believes the only solution to this issue is a negotiated settlement between the two parties. Under no circumstances will Canada cover the budgeting shortfall as a result of this decision and Canada's decided to freeze all further voluntary contributions to UNESCO."
Canada contributes about $10 million a year to the agency.
graeme
Posted on: 11/01/2011 20:01
The reaction of Canada and the US brings into focus what has long been true about the UN. We can no longer ignore the delusion that the UN exists as any kind of world goverment. It has always existed to give approval to what powerful states - notably the US want to do.
So, if the US can't get what it wants, it ignores the UN - just as it ignores international courts.
Pilgrims Progress
Posted on: 11/02/2011 00:35
So, if the US can't get what it wants, it ignores the UN - just as it ignores international courts.
And it's lackeys - including Australia and Canada - vote right along side them........
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 11/02/2011 03:52
You just can't keep humanity down for long :3
The Global Human Spring continues :3
MikePaterson
Posted on: 11/02/2011 11:59
This is a different issue... but why not???
Easydoesit
Posted on: 11/02/2011 20:13
You've got to hand it to the French. President Sarkozy was among the 107 yes votes to allow Palestine into UNESCO and was also in favour of allowing Palestine into the UN General Assembly as an "observer state." Contrast Sarkozy's leadership with that of Obama and Harper both of whom follow the dictates of Netanyahu and his right wing coalition in the Knesset. The Yanks and the Israelis have their own set of rules...either you do it our way or we withdraw funding and it really doesn't matter a damn what the rest of the world thinks.
InannaWhimsey
Posted on: 11/02/2011 21:33
Indeed, quite bizarre, as bizarre as Russia (which is a relatively 'made-up' country and culture with a made-up literature) being a part of the UN :3
Its going to be getting even more exciting over time as the various groups in that portion of the world try to deal with their biological drives of hate the out group and kill those among you who are perceived as the weakest in times of stress. Even Zionism doesn't seem to be a permanent fixer of that programming -- the problem with "Enlightenment" is that one must also deal with those around you who aren't in such a state.
Maybe the drone suppliers can start making more money by marketing them to Hollywood, so that we can watch from our own homes?