November 1st

U.S. cuts off UNESCO funding after Palestinian vote ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters November 1, 2011 - 12:00am The United States said on Monday it had stopped funding UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, following its vote to grant the Palestinians full membership. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters the United States had no choice but to halt funding because of longstanding U.S. law, saying Washington would not make a planned $60 million transfer that was due in November.

Palestinians to push heritage agenda at UNESCO ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - November 1, 2011 - 12:00am Hamdan Taha, a Palestinian Authority minister who deals with antiquities and culture, said UNESCO membership was the Palestinians' natural right. He described as "regrettable" the objections of some governments including the United States. UNESCO's board decided last week to let member states vote on a Palestinian application for full membership, seen as part of a Palestinian drive opposed by Israel and the United States for recognition as a state in the U.N. system. » Read more

Palestinian Membership in Unesco Comes at a Price as U.S. Cuts Off Funding ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bloomberg by Flavia Krause-Jackson - November 1, 2011 - 12:00am Acceptance into the UN cultural agency Unesco, best known for its designation of “world heritage” sites, hasn’t brought the Palestinians any closer to full membership in the United Nations itself. If anything, the victory has come at a price. A day after Palestine gained full membership in the UN group with 107 votes in favor and 14 against, the U.S. has retaliated by cutting off funding that supplies almost a quarter of the agency’s budget. Moreover, swing votes the Palestinians need to bolster their support on the Security Council for full UN membership have evaporated. » Read more

In Israel, Press Freedom Is Under Attack ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Dimi Reider - (Opinion) October 31, 2011 - 12:00am ON Sunday, the Tel Aviv District Court sentenced Anat Kamm, a 24-year-old journalist and former soldier, to four and a half years in prison for leaking documents containing evidence of what she suspected might be war crimes committed by her commanders. Uri Blau, a prominent Israeli investigative reporter at Haaretz who received the documents from Ms. Kamm, is now waiting to hear whether the attorney general will indict him. » Read more

UNESCO Palestine decision sets off U.S.-U.N. confrontation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Edmund Sanders - November 1, 2011 - 12:00am Reporting from Jerusalem and Washington— A decision by the United Nations' cultural organization to admit Palestine as a member state set off a confrontation between the U.S. and the U.N., threatening to strip Washington of influence in several key international agencies while cutting off a major source of contributions to the world body. » Read more

Israel and the Apartheid Slander ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Richard Goldstone - (Opinion) October 31, 2011 - 12:00am THE Palestinian Authority’s request for full United Nations membership has put hope for any two-state solution under increasing pressure. The need for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians has never been greater. So it is important to separate legitimate criticism of Israel from assaults that aim to isolate, demonize and delegitimize it. » Read more