US Cuts UNESCO

From Yahoo News:
"US cuts funding for UNESCO after Palestinian vote"

The Obama administration cut off funding for the U.N. cultural agency on Monday, after its member countries defied an American warning and approved a Palestinian bid for full membership. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the vote triggered a long-standing congressional restriction on funding to U.N. bodies that recognize Palestine as a state before an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is reached. She said the U.S. as a result would refrain from making a $60 million payment it planned to deliver in November. "Today's vote by the member states of UNESCO to admit Palestine as a member is regrettable, premature, and undermines our shared goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East," Nuland told reporters. "The United States remains steadfast in its support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, but such a state can only be realized through direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians." The U.S. will maintain its membership and participation in the body, Nuland said, though it was not immediately clear how that would work if it was no longer paying its share of the costs. UNESCO depends heavily on U.S. funding — Washington provides 22 percent of its budget — but has survived without it in the past: The United States pulled out of UNESCO under President Ronald Reagan, rejoining two decades later under President George W. Bush.

^ I'm glad the US is sticking to its laws. The Palestinians should only be allowed to become a state AFTER they denounce terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist. Just yesterday missiles were launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel - that is the opposite of what needs to be done. The countries that recognize a Palestinian State while they are bombing Israel (or anyplace else) are helping world terrorism. The US provided 20% of UNESCO's funding - which is a lot of money in a time when the world is trying to fix their economies and save money. I hope the US continues this policy and does not make it just a show for a few days or weeks. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/us-cuts-funding-unesco-palestinian-vote-172741574.html