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UNESCO Palestine vote criticised by US, Israel

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The US and Israel have criticised a decision by the executive committee of UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, to admit Palestine as a full member. In a statement yesterday, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said, “I found quite confusing and somehow inexplicable that you would have organs of the United Nations making decisions about statehood or statehood status while the issue has been presented to the United Nations.” A Palestinian bid for membership of the UN is currently being considered by the Security Council. The application is opposed by Israel and the US, and has been received sceptically by the UK.

The Palestinian bid for UNESCO membership will now be voted on by the body’s 193 members. Two-thirds approval is required for the passing of any request for full membership. The Palestinian delegation has had ‘observer status’ at UNESCO since 1974.

The Palestinian bid for membership of UNESCO is part of a broader approach by the Palestinians to seek presence in various prominent international bodies, which admit only states to full membership. They hope to gradually increase the global perception of the Palestinian Authority as a state. If the Palestinians fail to secure full membership of the UN, they are expected to seek an upgrade of their status within the UN General Assembly to non-member state.

A statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the Palestinian actions at UNESCO represented a ‘”rejection of the path of negotiations, as well as of the Quartet plan to continue with the political process.” It reiterated that Israel, “believes that the correct and only way to advance the peace process with the Palestinians is through direct, unconditional negotiations. In this context Israel welcomed the Quartet’s declaration of September 23, 2011.”