Palestinian ‘tsunami’ still taking its toll around world

[bemildred]

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The application was approved but the cost was huge. The US immediately cut all funding to Unesco, a move that deprives the group of more than a fifth of its budget. The freeze was required under a decades-old law that forces the US to halt funding to any UN body that admits the Palestinians.

Crucially, that law would also apply should the Palestinians seek membership of the International Atomic Energy Agency and other UN bodies. The Palestinian bid for statehood could end up driving a massive new wedge between the US and the UN system, an outcome that will please few.

Israel, meanwhile, chose to punish the Palestinian Authority itself by announcing plans to accelerate the building of 2,000 housing units for Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories and freezing the transfer of the Palestinian tax and customs revenues that it raises on behalf of the PA.

The Unesco vote also delivered a setback to Europe’s fledgling foreign policy ambitions. All efforts to maintain a semblance of European unity were undercut when Germany insisted that it had to vote against the Palestinians’ Unesco bid. In the end France backed the application while Britain abstained.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6f5d851c-095f-11e1-a2bb-00144feabdc0.html

[azurnoir]

1. well thats all true except that the Palestinians have said they will not apply for membership in any

more UN bodies for the time being preferring instead to concentrate on full statehood in the UNSC, however it is interesting to note that US apparently has a law o the books aimed directly at the Palestinians

Membership of the Palestine Liberation Organization in
United Nations Agencies
Pub.L. 101-246, Title IV, § 414, Feb. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 70 (101st
Congress, 2/16/90), provided that:
“(a) Prohibition.--No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or
any other Act shall be available for the United Nations or any specialized
agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the
same standing as member states.
“(b) Transfer or reprogramming.--Funds subject to the prohibition
contained in subsection (a) which would be available for the United
Nations or any specialized agency thereof (but for that prohibition) are
authorized to remain available until expended and may be reprogrammed
or transferred to any other account of the Department of State or the
Agency for International Development to carry out the general purposes
for which such funds were authorized.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/PLO-UN-legislation.pdf

and that the US would be willing to see tens of thousands of women's and children's lives put at risk due this law

[bemildred]

2. I saw a couple errors like that, but there were some interesting bits too.

I think the point is the "threat" is always there now. I notice they seem to have got their funding back too, no doubt that is a coincidence.
:sarcasm: