Congressman Gary Ackerman on UNESCO Vote

Congressman Gary Ackerman
on UNESCO Vote

Yesterday, the Palestinian Authority was granted full membership to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  Subsequently, the White House cut off all US funding of UNESCO activities, which accounts for twenty-two percent of UNESCO’s annual budget.

In response, the Jewish Community Relations Council held a conference call yesterday with Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, to discuss the ramifications of the vote.  We are pleased to share with you the recording of the entire call.  Click here for the recording.

In addition, JCRC-NY collected statements from New York elected officials condemning the UNESCO vote: 

JCRC-NY and Elected Official Statements
on the Palestinian Effort to Achieve
UNESCO Member Status

 

Jewish Community Relations Council of New York The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York applauds President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton for their principled decision to vote against granting full membership status in UNESCO to the Palestinian Authority and for immediately cutting off US funding to the body as a consequence of today’s vote. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas must understand that unilateral bids for membership will not result in the awarding of a state to the Palestinian people and that peace will only be achieved through direct negotiations. In addition, JCRC-NY commends the other 13 countries who voted against Palestinian membership in UNESCO including, Israel, Canada, and Germany. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) "I am deeply disappointed by this morning's vote. The only path to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations at the negotiating table, not unilateral actions at the UN. The Palestinian member-state level entry into the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization undermines the path to a two-state solution and UNESCO's mission. These political games at the UN will not create peace, we must get back to direct negotiations without preconditions."  Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) Mr. Speaker, today I rise to discuss the vote expected to take place on Monday, October 31, 2011 that may accept Palestine as a full member in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Under our legislation passed over 15 years ago, we will have an automatic cutoff of US funding should this vote take place and succeed in allowing Palestine to be a member of UNESCO.  The legislation states that we will withhold funding from United Nation's agencies if they allow membership to Palestine without a peace treaty with Israel.  If this is to take place the backlash would be catastrophic not only to America, but also many countries abroad. The United States currently funds approximately 22% of UNESCO's budget, about $70 million, and if we are forced to withdraw that money then many countries would suffer.  Among the problems we would face, programs such as systems to provide early warning of tsunamis may be in jeopardy leaving countries most at risk such as Haiti in danger.  Furthermore, the study of earthquake threats in countries like Turkey, which was recently hit with a massive earth quake, would be in question.  Sites such as the Borobudur Buddhist Temple in Indonesia would lack in funding and support.  These are just a few of the issues that would face the world. Not only would other countries in the world be affected, but also the United States itself.  To remove ourselves from UNESCO's funding will leave us out of major decisions regarding the world.  We will be forced to stand on the side lines instead of having an active role in the world's well being; this could be detrimental to our strength, safety, and ability to respond to disasters. Another issue that plagues me is that this may be only the first step for Palestine to push recognition; therefore the same legislation may remove our funding from other United Nations Organizations.  If this is to pass then there is no telling where the Palestinian President will next attempt to achieve membership within the United Nations.  The next steps may be to retain membership within the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, the International Criminal Court and even the International Atomic Energy Agency.  If Palestine were able to obtain membership in these organizations then the legislation passed would force us to remove ourselves from these as well, the last of which is an important organization in monitoring the nuclear weapons in Iran.  This vote may also lead to further conflicts with Israel, and more issues involving peace, as this may be seen as a stepping stone to receiving full recognition as a state within the United Nations.  Furthermore, the allowance of Palestine into UNESCO as a full member would create disputes over the heritage of monuments in their region. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to advocate against the vote that will allow Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  If they are to join then we will have several major backlashes including lack of funding to programs that assist many other countries in the world as well as benefit our own, a loss of power within the United Nation's organizations, and further conflicts with Israel.  These tremendous events will hurt our nation, and therefore we must do everything in our power to stop them in their tracks by advocating for those in the United Nations to vote no on this issue.  For the future, I urge the members of Congress to continue to advocate against other United Nation's agencies allowing Palestine to be a member without the existence of a peace treaty with Israel. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) “The choice facing the nations voting on membership in UNESCO is very simple: they can have an empty gesture, which will do absolutely nothing to advance their goal of Palestinian statehood, or they can have America’s contribution to UNESCO, which supports the very useful work UNESCO has been able to do. They will not get both. After a successful vote, these countries may congratulate themselves on their high-mindedness. But after their little blush of self-satisfaction, they should ask themselves how they plan on replacing 22 percent of UNESCO’s budget provided by the United States. Then they should consider, if they really do want to promote peace—something that can only come from the direct negotiations Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly offered and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly rejected—how their little empty victory will make those negotiations, or a final status agreement, or a true peace more likely.“  Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) "The Palestinian effort to gain recognition at the United Nations and UNESCO is severely misguided. The Israeli-Palestinian dispute can only be resolved in bilateral negotiations. Such counter-productive Palestinian efforts at the UN only serves to undermine the peace process. “United States law is clear: any UN agency which allows a group or organization which is not a country -- in this case the PLO -- to join will lose all US funding. This will end up hurting the interests of the US and other countries which have benefited from UNESCO activities, but we simply are unwilling to sacrifice our alliance with Israel on the mantle of a UN organization which acts to undermine the peace process.  We’re deeply disappointed that countries which are members of UNESCO did not heed this message and vote against this counter-productive scheme." Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) “The mission of every agency affiliated with the United Nations is to foster – not thwart – conditions for peace and stability.  Today’s action by UNESCO fails that test. “By taking this premature and counter-productive step, UNESCO is interfering with the prospects for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians at a time when both parties have taken the positive step of committing to present comprehensive proposals on borders and security. “In addition, consistent with current law, UNESCO’s action has also put at risk its funding from United States taxpayers, who provide more than one-fifth of UNESCO’s budget.  UNESCO must understand that such irresponsible actions have serious consequences.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) “I strongly condemn UNESCO’s approval of the Palestinian Authority for full membership within that body,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler.  “As warned, the U.S. will now be obligated to cut off funding for UNESCO.  Instead of acting unilaterally and seeking validation at the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority must return to direct negotiations with Israel to find a lasting peace with two states for two peoples.” Rep. Pete King (R-NY) “I strongly condemn UNESCO's admission of Palestine as a member state and urge the Administration to cut off funding to this agency. This is another unilateral maneuver that rewards Palestine’s reckless avoidance of a peace agreement. Peace will only be achieved through direct, bilateral negotiations.” Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) “Unfortunately, the UNESCO vote increases the likelihood that peace in the Middle East will remain elusive. UNESCO’s vote today gives the Palestinians the privileges of a state, although the Palestinians themselves have not done the work of actually establishing a state.  This move preserves the existing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and makes it much less likely that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will resume any time soon.” Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) GARDEN CITY, NY (Oct. 30, 2011) – Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) issued the following statement today on the Palestinian effort to achieve UNESCO member status, which would trigger an automatic withdrawal of U.S. aid to the critical international agency. “The Palestinians' misguided effort to become a member of UNESCO would trigger a massive blow to the organization’s funding and ultimately undermine their own goal of a legitimate and internationally recognized statehood. “Like their unilateral effort to be recognized by the U.N. as a state, which I also spoke out against recently, this shortsighted maneuver by the Palestinians offends the concept of direct, bilateral discussions as endorsed by the Quartet on the Middle East as well as Israel herself. “It would also hurt countless people around the world who rely on UNESCO to serve critical needs like literacy and disaster preparedness. “The world community needs to speak in one voice against this potentially disastrous effort.” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) “Today’s vote in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to grant Palestinian membership to this UN body, rather than signal the end of negotiations surrounding Palestinian statehood, may well exacerbate regional conflict and could result in cuts to U.S. contributions to the United Nations – with serious consequences worldwide. “A comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East will include two states: Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people and the State of Palestine as the homeland for the Palestinian people.  That said, I am convinced that direct negotiations provide the only path to achieving a durable, peaceful two-state solution.  Efforts to achieve Palestinian statehood through unilateral declaration or to gain membership in UN special and technical agencies misdirects our attention from negotiations and will ultimately set back the peace process. “Palestinian admission to UN entities will likely be a Pyrrhic victory, at best – the resulting harm far outweighing ostensible gains.  Palestinian membership in UNESCO or other UN specialized agencies outside the framework of a negotiated peace agreement could trigger provisions of U.S. law that prohibit the United States from making assessed or voluntary contributions to those agencies.   The United States is UNESCO’s largest contributor, providing 22% of the organization’s budget.  Loss of U.S. contributions will compromise UNESCO’s ability to fulfill its mandate.  At stake could be “UNESCO-funded tsunami early warning systems, education and literacy programs for women and girls, protecting world heritage sites, and combating violent extremism by promoting tolerance, and Holocaust remembrance. “It is my firm conviction that the United States best pursues our foreign policy objectives – that is, best secures global peace, economic prosperity, universal heath, and environmental stewardship – through multilateral engagement.  The United Nations is the embodiment of that conviction and the agent of these pursuits.  I am deeply concerned that the ill-chosen path to Palestinian statehood (through United Nation agencies) will severely hamstring U.S. participation in the UN and gravely harm UN operations. “Much as I look forward to the day when Israel and a Palestinian state peacefully, respectfully sit side by side in the United Nations.  To hasten the arrival of that day, it is most urgent that the parties return to the table to negotiate a durable, equitable and shared future.” Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) “If Fatah spent as much time negotiating in good faith with Israel as they do trying to join every organization on the books there might actually be progress by now. This latest move is a mistake and I am disappointed in the vote. Fatah must abandon this strategy and, instead, start investing its time and energies into constructive efforts aimed at bringing about peace in the Middle East.” Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) “UNESCO needs to reconsider the wisdom of its actions and understand the only tangible impact of this vote will be to reduce its budget by approximately $70 million. A permanent two-state solution and lasting peace will only be achieved through direct bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people, not outside interference. This vote can only serve to harm the peace process.” Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY) “Today the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) attempted to validate the Palestinian Authority's unilateral bid for statehood. The only just approach to this question is direct negotiation with the State of Israel for a lasting two-state solution that will assure peace.  I support the Obama Administration's termination, based on legislation passed by Congress 15 years ago, of U.S. funding for UNESCO pending its rescinding this unwise, unfair, and insupportable decision.” Rep. Bob Turner (R-NY) “I strongly oppose Palestine becoming a full member of UNESCO and would urge that Palestine’s application be denied," said Congressman Turner. “By granting Palestine membership, it sends a signal – the wrong signal – that Palestine’s effort to be recognized as a state by bypassing negotiations with Israel is acceptable.” “This vote is another clear sign that the need for more reform is greater now than ever. That is why the first bill I cosponsored after being elected was the United Nations Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act, which places more stringent conditions on U.S. funding to the U.N. in order to achieve long awaited reform at that body.”  NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli "I am disappointed in today's vote by UNESCO member countries to accept Palestine as a full member.  The path toward a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians is through direct and bilateral negotiations that provide security for all." NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos “This vote is an outrage,” Senator Skelos said.  “I have traveled twice to Israel and I know the Israeli people truly want peace. The UNESCO vote is a mistake and a tragedy that should not stand.  I call on Congress to immediately withdraw U.S. funding to UNESCO.”  NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Because the Palestinians cynically forced a vote to become a full member state of UNESCO, the United States has been compelled to cut off funding for this organization. Their actions have shown the world what we already know – that the radicals who control Palestine care little for peace and the safety and security of others. NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn “The vote by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) General Conference to admit the Palestinian Authority as a member has serious and immediate consequences, not only for the people of Israel, but also for the many thousands who rely on  UNESCO’s important role in organizing many important educational and social programs across the globe. I call upon the Palestinian Authority to halt tactics which circumvent the issue of achieving true statehood for their people.  Statehood for the Palestinians can only be achieved through good-faith negotiations and meaningful collaboration with the people of Israel."