American engagement just isn’t going well these days at UNESCO, the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. On Monday, despite U.S. objections, UNESCO’s General Conference voted to give a seat to the Palestinians, thus making UNESCO the first UN outfit to grant the Palestinians full membership. On the part of the Palestinian Authority, the bid to join UNESCO was a violation of their own past agreements, and a betrayal of the trust with which the U.S. has been bankrolling Palestinian development in exchange for Palestinians pledges of peace that can only come by way of good faith dealings with Israel, not by UN fiat. On the part of a majority of UNESCO’s member states, the vote was a festival of derision toward the U.S. and prejudice against Israel, as the “yes” votes for Palestinian membership were greeted in the chamber with cheers and applause. The tally was a slap-happy 107 states in favor, and 14 states against (including the U.S.), with 52 abstaining.
UNESCO’s seating of the Palestinians has triggered American laws that require the U.S. administration to cut funding to any part of the UN that gives membership to the Palestinians before they have actually met the qualifications for functional statehood (such as scrapping plans to terrorize and obliterate their neighbors). Cutting funding is a good start for a fitting U.S. retort to UNESCO, where the loss of U.S. lucre ought to provoke some serious second thoughts. U.S. taxpayers have been bankrolling 22% of UNESCO’s budget, plus extras — meaning UNESCO now faces a funding cut of about $80 million per year. Whether UNESCO, faced with this shortfall, will choose to sacrifice programs in the field or dinners in Paris remains to be seen.
Except, to judge by the statements of U.S. diplomats, the Obama administration is looking for ways to save UNESCO from making any sacrifice at all.
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