The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman warned today that President Obama’s push to resume UNESCO funding could give extra lift to the Palestinian Authority’s drive for statehood.
Obama’s proposed budget includes $79 million for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which admitted “Palestine” as a full member in October.
In response to the “regrettable, premature” action, in the words of the State Department, the administration cut off funding for UNESCO. U.S. contributions comprised 22 percent of the agency’s funding; a $60 million contribution scheduled for last November was withheld.
“The Palestinian leadership’s dangerous statehood scheme at the UN was dealt a significant blow last year after the U.S. cut off funding to UNESCO due to its admission of ‘Palestine,’” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said today. “Now, the administration is requesting to resume funding to UNESCO, despite the fact that it includes ‘Palestine’ as a member. Resuming U.S. funding would give a green light for other UN bodies to follow in UNESCO’s footsteps and support the Palestinian statehood push.”
Under U.S. law, no contributions can be made to organizations granting the Palestine Liberation Organization member-state standing, or any other “organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.”
A footnote in the Executive Budget Summary states the administration’s intent to change the law and pay the past-due contributions that had been frozen: “The Department of State intends to work with Congress to seek legislation that would provide authority to waive restrictions on paying the U.S. assessed contributions to UNESCO. Should the Congress pass this legislation, this funding is sufficient to cover the FY 2013 UNESCO assessment and the balance of the FY 2012 assessment.”
“Any effort to walk back this funding cutoff will pave the way for the Palestinian leadership’s unilateral statehood scheme to drive on, and sends a disastrous message that the U.S. will fund UN bodies no matter what irresponsible decisions they make,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
You know what the good news is? Since blowing up babies is an acceptable way to gain statehood, we at least should not ever hear again from the left about Hiroshima.
Communism is dead and gone but the State Department continues to be a den of treasonous buffoons.
And this concerns Congress how?
We have not had a constitutionally mandated budget for 3 years. It looks like it will be at least 4 years. There are a number of specific cases where Congress has zero-ed spending for specific items and people, and Obama has told them … that it does not matter … and gone ahead and spent the money anyway. With the Federal Reserve buying as many T-Bills as necessary to fund whatever spending the administration wants, and with Congress not willing to cut off the credit card; just what is Congress going to do if Obama not only funds UNESCO, but also funds a Palestinian State? Hold their breath?
Subotai Bahadur
This demonstrates how bankrupt Obama’s policy is towards Israel. The twists and turns this administration does to undermine Israel is simply breathtaking and of course the MSM enablers will simply ignore this as usual.
He is a disgrace to America
Tommy, you are sooooooo right on!
I share everyone’s desire to see a comprehensive peace in the Middle East but Israel’s current Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu continues to build settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Last November, there were a further 6 UN Resolutions on Palestine and the Middle East. There are over 150 UN Resolutions (including 181, 191 and 194). Furthermore the ruling of the International Court of Justice in the Hague pertaining to the ‘security barrier’, which is 3 times the length of the Berlin Wall, has been ignored by Mr Netanyahu.
At present I cannot envisage a two-state solution, if settlements and the ‘security barrier’ are finally completed. Palestinian communities will be separated into pockets of territory that lack contiguity, surrounded by settlements only accessible by settler only roads. ‘Natural growth’ settlements too were not acceptable as part of Phase I of the internationally agreed Road Map (2003) either. Both Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace and security, but how is this possible with Mr Netanyahu’s refusal to end these policies and to reject the US President’s 1967 lines.
There are 130 nations in the world that recognise Palestine including India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil. Day by day, the ‘security barrier’ and settlements erode the possibility of a two-state solution, the viability a comprehensive peace, the contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (including Arab East Jerusalem) and the relevance of the Palestinian National Authority.
Nevertheless, UNESCO’s recognition last year of Palestine (supported by France, Spain, Ireland and Norway amongst many European nations) was a step forward and a counter balance to those who deny Israel or Palestine’s right to exist. Dignity and peace is paramount for both peoples and recognition of both states ensures that the rejectionist camp is marginalised even further.
Thank you and God bless you.