Ref: 110/2011
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) welcomes the
decision taken by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) to admit Palestine as a full member in UNESCO. PCHR views this decision as a major step in
the Palestine people’s struggle for the realization of their right to self
determination and statehood on their national territory.
On Monday, 31 October 2011, UNESCO’s General Conference accepted
Palestine as a full member of the international organization, with a vast
majority of members (107) voting in favor, while 14 voted against admission,
and 52 States abstained.
It was significant that a number of western European States voted
in favor of the decision, including France, Spain, Norway, Belgium, Austria,
Luxembourg, Ireland, and Iceland.
On the other hand, the minority that opposed the decision was led
by the United States, Germany and Canada.
Following the vote in UNESCO, the United States decided to cut funding
for UNECO as a form punishment against the institution for accepting Palestine
as a full member. The US State
Department’s Spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, announced that the United States
would refrain from paying the $60 million which was supposed to be paid to
UNESCO this month. The United States is
the largest funder of UNESCO, with its share amounting to 22% of UNESCO’s
budges – approximately $653 million.
PCHR welcomes UNESCO’s decision, and emphasizes the following:
1. PCHR is pleased
with this decision as it constitutes another step in the Palestinian people’s
struggle to realize the right to self-determination, and their legitimate
efforts to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital;
2. PCHR
believes that UNESCO’s vote represents a victory for the just Palestinian cause
and the legitimate Palestinian demands, as the vast majority of States in the
world voted in favor of the decision, which constitutes a test case for the international
support for Palestine’s pursuit for full membership in the United Nations.
3. PCHR is satisfied
with the positive voting by a number of European States, including France,
Spain, Norway, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Iceland, which constitutes
a qualitative development in the European position;
4. PCHR
strongly condemns the US position opposing Palestine’s admission to UNSECO and
its penal measures against the organization – a position which stands opposite
to the position of the vast majority of
States and goes against the international community’s will. It is a position that keeps the Palestinian
people’s right to self-determination hostage to Israel’s position and will.
This is deemed unacceptable by the international community which seeks for an
occupying State to grant the occupied people their right to self-determination;
5. It is clear
from the voting that the major obstacle against Palestine’s admission to the
United Nations is the United States, which has reiterated its opposition to the
Palestinian request submitted to the UN Security Council in this regard. Therefore, the Palestinian leadership should
immediately turn to the General Assembly to obtain full membership in the
United Nations, especially in light of the expected US veto against the
Palestinian request in the Security Council.
