UN Palestinian Full Membership and US Retaliation (Palestinians, middle east, Israel)

[Home Addict]

It is hard for the US to establish credibility, especially in the middle East, when it does not respect the vote of the UN.

I am neither Jewish nor of middle Eastern descent. To me, the way it works is simple - you have people that have no state (whether Jewish or Palestinian). They want a state of their own. What is so wrong to be recognized?

You can do all the vote-bargaining, manuevering, behind the scene and before the vote. But once the vote is done, it is DONE. To pull funding after a vote that did not go your way is essentially retaliation of the lowest form!

U.S. stops UNESCO funding over Palestinian vote - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/u-cuts-off-unesco-funding-palestinian-vote-171735151.html - broken link)

[EinsteinsGhost]

I understood the point of US opposition to Palestinian statehood at the UN. But I find this retaliation against UNESCO utterly ridiculous.

[BruSan]

I don't! It's an irrelevant organization and stupid, knee jerk, political correct decisions like this one just make it more so. Does anyone doubt this little charade is merely a poke in the eye to both Israel and the U.S.

Palestine ceased to exist through the machinations of it's Arab brethren. Let them, give them a chunk of land somewhere and let them call it whatever they wish. THEN the U.N. can gallop in and recognize them. No harm, no foul, if done that way.

[shiftymh]

It's not retaliation, our laws prevent us from funding it if the Palestinians are a member.

[EinsteinsGhost]

Originally Posted by shiftymh

It's not retaliation, our laws prevent us from funding it if the Palestinians are a member.

That doesn't make any sense. Which laws prevent us from funding UNESCO recognized members?

[Home Addict]

Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost

I understood the point of US opposition to Palestinian statehood at the UN. But I find this retaliation against UNESCO utterly ridiculous.

I don't understand the opposition. What would US gain by opposing a Palestinian statehood? What would US lose by accepting one?

[doctrain]

Regardless of the details here, anything to put space between UNESCO and the U.S. is a good thing!

[shiftymh]

Originally Posted by EinsteinsGhost

That doesn't make any sense. Which laws prevent us from funding UNESCO recognized members?

Read the link, it mentions it.

[shiftymh]

Originally Posted by Home Addict

I don't understand the opposition. What would US gain by opposing a Palestinian statehood? What would US lose by accepting one?

At minimum, 60 million dollars.

[Home Addict]

Originally Posted by shiftymh

It's not retaliation, our laws prevent us from funding it if the Palestinians are a member.

That doesn't make sense. What did the Palestinians do to US to deserve this? Did US stop funding when Vietnam joined in 1977?

This is ethnic discrimination at the international level. Shame.