UNESCO approves Palestinian membership

Last Updated 8:49 a.m. ET

PARIS — UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, has admitted Palestine as a full member in a highly divisive bid that opponents say could harm renewed peace efforts.

U.S. lawmakers had threatened to withhold some $80 million in funding to UNESCO if it approved Palestinian membership.

Huge cheers went up in UNESCO after delegates voted to approve the membership Monday. One shouted "Long Live Palestine!" in French.

Palestinian officials are seeking full membership in the United Nations, but because that effort is expected to take some time, they separately sought membership at Paris-based UNESCO.

CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' statehood bid comes in three parts: the application to the Security Council (where a decision will be made on November 11); the UNESCO membership bid; and the vote for observer state status at the U.N. General Assembly, "and rising expectations in Palestine are putting pressure on Abbas to act."

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Paris-based UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is seen as a test case for that strategy.

The Palestinians needed to win over two-thirds of UNESCO's 193 members on Monday to get full membership.

Falk notes that the Palestinians' application for full membership in UNESCO comes as Abbas threatens to resign and dismantle the Palestinian Authority. A tentative truce has quieted five days of violence between Israel and Gaza.

The United States, which has said it will use its Security Council veto to derail the Palestinians bid at the U.N. in New York, has warned that its funding to UNESCO could be cut if the bid passes there.

[cigar-smoker]

I'm not excited about UNESCO's move but something has to happen to get Israel and Palestine to the bargaining table. Both sides have taken a "my way or the highway" attitude for decades. Finally one side had decided to push the envelope and go for broke in a nonviolent way. Hopefully the radicals on both sides will be pushed out of the equation and a lasting peace will be achieved. fingers crossed....

[hawkman1001-2009]

This story states that the Palestinian entry into UNESCO has opponents saying the move "could harm renewed peace efforts."

What peace efforts would those be? It has been clear for a very long time that the present Israeli government has absolutely no interest in seeking a peace deal with the Palestinians (and I do not consider Hamas as a legitimate representative of the Palestinians).

The United States needs to develop an independent foreign policy that does not provide the Likud party with a veto on any decision concerning the Middle East.

[formerusmcsgt1]

In 3 years I'll retire and leave the US and live in a oountry that isn't controlled by Israel.

That will, indeed, be refreshing.......

[formerusmcsgt1]

Re: US withdraws funding for UNESCO.

Anyone who doubted whether AIPAC sets our foreign policy for us or not just got that question answered in spades.

[MaryPresumptuous]

For those readers interested in the law, this article (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/us-funding-line-unesco-mulls-membership-palestine) will point out a key provision in each of Public Law 101-246 (1990) and Public Law 103-236 Title IV (1994). The definitive text can be download from the GAO (e.g., see Section 414 on page 70 of http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-104/pdf/STATUTE-104-1-2.pdf in the first case).

Everyone complaining about how stupid, unjust, or something else negative may be right, but that is the great thing about democracy. We not only survive, but thrive because, not merely in spite, of such differences of opinion. Regardless, in this case, the current administration is sworn to uphold the law. The law says that funding UNESCO is no longer authorized as a result of its actions.

UNESCO had prior knowledge of these features of US law.

[formerusmcsgt1]

How many sheckels a week does AIPAC pay you?

[Jaylah54]

Considering the fact that Israel has repeatedly and specifically said that it has no interest in peace negotiations, why is this even a concern?

I wonder if they'd change their tune about negotiations if the US stopped given them all the arms, money, and ammunition they needed to keep fighting their immoral war?

[formerusmcsgt1]

The U.S. cut funding to UNESCO over this vote which is, of course, a disgusting thing to do.

It shows the world that we don't care what it thinks. If it doesn't vote how we want it to vote, we retaliate.

Stupid.

Terrorist recruiters will have a field day with this, no doubt.

[Jaylah54]

Agree 100%

[MaryPresumptuous]

The US took no vote or new decision today that cut funding to UNESCO. Congress acted long ago, long before the Palestinians made application either for Member status or to join UNESCO. Not funding UNESCO is the will of the American people -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45101938/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.Tq7wI-wUeSo . And this isn't the first time the US cut funding (Ronald Reagan pulled us out. It took George Bush '43 to restore funding. ... By the way, where was president Clinton, if our absence was so disgusting?)

Don't you just love democracy? Even when one's views are not popular, it is your right to believe in them and hold onto them anyway.

Yes, terrorist recruiters will make hay. And that is precisely the PA/PLO's calculation for why they proceed in the current way. You don't actually believe they are playing for a simple and obvious short-term objective of having their own country, do you? That has been achievable for decades.

[PourpaixPourpaix]

I guess the USA won't give up controlling and manipulating for power until the world's a burnt out lump of razed earth.

[EffortPA]

If you want peace in the Middle East, you need to withhold all contributions to Israel. As long as we continue to give them billions of dollars in aid without demanding anything in return, there will never reach a peace agreement. Why would they? They are actually profiting from the conflict that they have created!

[PourpaixPourpaix]

Israel did create the conflict in the first place through Zionist demands. It was Arab land, and the Arabs shared it with the Jews. Britain promised title to the Arabs and Jews separately, and now we get to deal with the broken promises. All this because America didn't want to immigrate a few million European Jews in 1938.

[involved_indi]

breaking news is that the U.S. will cut off funding due to this vote. its about time.