U.S. Will Withhold Funds For U.N. Agency After Vote to Grant Membership to Palestinians

Published October 31, 2011


Oct. 31, 2011: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki, left, is seen with historian and Ambassador for Palestine at UNESCO Elias Sanbar, left, during a session of UNESCO's 36th General Conference, in Paris.

The United States will not pay $60 million to a U.N. cultural and educational agency after it voted Monday to accept the Palestinian mission as a full member, triggering a U.S. requirement to cut off funds.

"We are not going to be able to continue contributing to the budget," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "Palestinian membership as a state in UNESCO triggers longstanding legislative restrictions which will compel the United States to refrain from making contributions to UNESCO."

Washington is required by law to cut off funding to any U.N. agency if the Palestinian Liberation Organization is granted membership in any group at the international body.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization voted 107-14 with 52 abstentions on Monday granting Palestinians full membership in the organization. The U.S. voted against the nomination. Eighty-one votes of the 173 UNESCO members were needed for full membership to be approved.

"Long Live Palestine!" one delegate reportedly shouted in French at the meeting.

The U.S. funds about 22 percent of UNESCO's budget, or roughly $80 million annually. Nuland said the $60 million was scheduled to be sent in November.

"We obviously have to comply with U.S. law, to comply with U.S. restrictions. That said, we will have a conversation with Congress on moving forward," she said.

Nuland said that if the U.S. ends up in arrears it could challenge U.S. membership status.

The U.S. rejoined UNESCO in 2002, after having left the organization 19 years earlier.

An aide to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said the congresswoman supports full enforcement of the law, without exception.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/31/us-could-withhold-funds-to-un-agency-after-vote-to-grant-membership-to/#ixzz1cOWkbh7p

The UN can't seem to make it's mind up. On the one hand it wants to promote peace and and on the other it seems to want to support terrorism.

IF YOU LOOK TO THE INTERNET FOR THE NEWS INSTEAD OF THE MSM, YOU WILL SEE ALL THE ABUSE ISREAL IS IMPOSING UPON THE PALISTINIANS!

Isreal has over 300 NUKES, and I don't doubt for a minute that they wouldn't hesitate to use them on the Palestinians, except that it would mean nuking their own country!

We need to get out of the UN, STOP ALL FOREIGN AID, quit propping up dictators and warlords, and use the money we would save to create jobs and security within our own borders!

There was another news report today about the ongoing rocket attacks from the Gaza strip into Israel by Hamas.

I think if Israel was going to nuke them, they would have done it by now.

Maybe they figure allowing them in will promote a change in policy with them. But pulling our funding is an okay deal as far as I am concerned. I don't know if that will effect the recession in the world at all but if not then yea for sure.