BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- UNESCO will raise the Palestinian flag at its Paris headquarters on Tuesday to mark the admission of Palestine as a full member, a press statement said on Wednesday.

President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Malki will preside over the ceremony with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, it said.

UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a member on Oct. 31. which triggered a funding cut by the United States, the largest contributor to the UN cultural agency.

The US and Israel opposed the decision, which they say is premature and harms prospects for peace talks.

Palestinian officials insist their move to join UN bodies, including Palestine's member state bid pending at the Security Council, will not alter already stalled negotiations.