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Elia – Record on Jewish/Israel Issues

UNESCO Director-General Statement regarding Abdullah Murtaja
Nov 14, 2014 | UNESCO

On 14 November, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, issued an update about the statement she issued on 29 August, 2014, regarding Abdullah Murtaja, in the context of UNESCO’s mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, 29 November 2014
Nov 26, 2014 | UNESCO

...The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in a call to lay the foundations for reconciliation and peace. This call must be heard, and I request all UNESCO Member States to take action to this end. UNESCO undertakes to do its utmost to support those efforts....
“People, Book, Land: The 3500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land” exhibition opens at UNESCO
Jun 11, 2014 | UNESCO

...“UNESCO is the first United Nations’ agency to host an exhibition on the links between the Jewish people and the Holy Land. In doing so the Organization is confirming its role as a universal platform for intellectual cooperation and intercultural dialogue,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova at the opening even...
U.S. urged to oppose Bokova’s bid to head UN post over pro-Hamas bias
Jul 18, 2014 | UN Watch

No Statement:...According to UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, Bokova, the Bulgarian-sponsored candidate for the UN’s top post, has “rushed to aggressively condemn Israel for alleged violations of freedom of the press, yet failed to defend UNESCO’s mandate regarding Hamas’ flagrant violations to basic rights of culture and education” ...
An Open Reply to Bernard-Henri Lévy
Mar 24, 2014 | The Huffington Post
By Irina Bokova

...You speak of a "misunderstanding," and there is, indeed, a misunderstanding, which was cleared up quickly by UNESCO, even before the publication of your article. I deeply regret that you did not have all relevant pieces of information at your disposal, and I wish to respond to you now in the spirit of respect that I have always felt towards you as an intellectual, as a man of the letters and culture...
UNESCO Snubs Israel’s Jews: WSJ Live Interviews Hillel Neuer
Feb 11, 2014 | The Wall Street Journal Live
By Mary Kissel

"This exhibition has not been cancelled. It has been postponed -- this was a difficult decision to make -- and it will be inaugurated in the month of June this year" - Irina Bokova, Jan. 22
UNESCO Cancels Jewish Exhibit Under Arab Pressure
Feb 11, 2014 | The Times of Israel
By Hillel Neuer

...Bokova justified her cancellation of Monday’s Jewish exhibit by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly...
UNESCO exhibit on Jewish ties to Israel rescheduled for June
Jan 21, 2014 | The Times of Israel
By Haviv Rettig Gur, Raphael Ahren and Rebecca Benhamou Read more: UNESCO exhibit on Jewish ties to Israel rescheduled for June | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-exhibit-on-jewish-ties-to-israel-rescheduled-for-june/#ixzz3RXLUsn2R F

...Bokova quickly capitulated. In a letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center on January 15, just days before the opening of the exhibit, which was over two years in the making, she argued that the cancellation arose out of UNESCO’s support for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. “We have a responsibility in ensuring that current efforts in this regard are not endangered,” she wrote....
Factsheet: UNESCO and Israel
Jan 17, 2014 | UN Watch

...UNESCO chief Irina Bokova justified her cancellation of Monday’s Jewish exhibit by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly," said Hillel Neuer...
UNESCO Cancels Jewish Exhibit Following Arab Pressure
Jan 17, 2014 | Arutz Sheva
By Elad Benari

...Following exhibit cancellation due to Arab pressure “by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly.” ...
Full text: UNESCO letter nixing Israel exhibit due to Arab pressure
Jan 18, 2014 | UN Watch

...I wish to say from the outset that I regret that a number of elements relating to the proposed exhibition by the Simon Wiesenthal Center were still not cleared when I received the letter from the Chairperson of the Arab Group, despite the constructive cooperation and dialogue in the preparatory phases of the exhibition...
Hamas razes historic site for ‘terror training camp’
Apr 20, 2013 | Times of London
By Sheera Frenkel

No Statement: ...“Unesco’s admission of Palestine as a member state in 2011, which caused the organisation to lose almost a quarter of its budget when the US suspended its contributions, was justified as a measure to help protect world heritage sites in Palestinian areas,” the letter said. “Yet as Hamas turns a cultural heritage site into a terrorist training ground – the antithesis of culture...
UNESCO chief hopeful that US will restore funding despite Palestine vote
Apr 19, 2013 | France 24

...Well, it’s a big blow, as you said, and the situation remains very complex, very difficult. Let me say that we are working with the American administration. It is not a deliberate decision taken by the administration to pull out its funding for UNESCO. There were two laws adopted in the 1990s that ban the administration of financing any organization should Palestine become a full member...
UNESCO silent as Hamas bulldozes world heritage site to make terrorist training camp
Apr 15, 2013 | UN Watch

No Statement:...In an urgent letter sent today to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova (see letter below), UN Watch demanded immediate action to stop the Hamas bulldozing of a 3000-year-old Gaza harbor for use as a terrorist training camp, as reported ...
Damaging History
Apr 15, 2013 | Washington Free Beacon
By Adam Kredo

No Statement:...“U.N. Watch is alarmed by the reported destruction by Hamas of parts of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in Gaza for use as a terrorist training camp,” the group wrote in an open letter to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova. “We urge you to bring the matter immediately before the UNESCO executive board.”...
U.S. condemns Syrian membership on U.N. human rights committee as it meets in Paris
Apr 10, 2013 | UN Watch

No Statement: ...UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer saluted the U.S. for speaking out, and urged France, Germany, the UK, and the EU to similarly condemn Syria’s “obscene” membership on the committee, and to take concrete action to remove it. Neuer also called on UN chief Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO director Irina Bokova “to use their moral voice to spur action.”...
Israel furious at UNESCO decision to back science chair at Islamic University of Gaza
Jul 12, 2012 | Haaretz
By Barak Ravid

"Bokova wants to be elected at any price," a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "Third world states have a majority in UNESCO so she's fawning on the Arabs to ensure her reelection. It's another sign of the growing politicization of a UN agency that is supposed to deal with culture, education and science," he said.
Today: "Scandalous" UNESCO vote to keep Syria on human rights committee
Mar 8, 2012 | UN Watch

No Statement:...After UNESCO elected Syria to its human rights committee in November, UN Watch launched a campaign to reverse the decision, prompting the US and Britain to initiate today's debate at UNESCO, which was postponed from yesterday...
UNESCO praised participation of Syria
Jan 26, 2012 | UN Watch

No Statement: On Nov. 22, UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova distanced herself from UNESCO’s election of Syria to two human rights committees, with her spokesperson telling UN Watch, “given the developments in Syria, the Director-General does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the Committees.”
NGO: UN must condemn stabbing of Palestinian activist who criticized Hamas rights abuses
Jan 17, 2012 | UN Watch

No statement : ...“The attack should be immediately denounced by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and well as Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO, the world agency mandated to uphold press freedom...
Gaza Activist Stabbed After Exposing Hamas Use of Human Shields
Jan 17, 2012 | UN Watch

No Statement: ...The attack should be immediately denounced by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, by Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO, the world agency mandated to uphold press freedom, and by Frank La Rue, the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression...
After Embracing PLO, UNESCO Lobbies to Circumvent U.S. Funding Penalty
Jan 13, 2012 | UN Watch

No Statement: ...Irina Bokova, UNESCO director general, lobbied for a restoration of U.S. funding during a three-day visit to Washington last month, making the case that programs in Iraq and Afghanistan would be affected. The United States provides all UN agencies with 22 percent of their respective budgets. UNESCO was also no exception to being granted extra-budgetary funding for specific programs.
UK announces bid to remove Syria from UNESCO rights committee
Jan 6, 2012 | UN Watch

...Guided by the principled opposition expressed by the UNESCO Director-General herself, Ms. Irina Bokova, who has stated that she “does not see how the Syria can contribute to the work of the committees”; Declaring that each day that the Syria continues to sit on the aforementioned UNESCO human rights committees constitutes an affront to the memory of the innocents who continue to be killed by the Assad regime...
UNESCO to stop support for Palestinian magazine
Dec 25, 2011 | The Jerusalem Post
By Jordana Horn

...“While UNESCO upholds freedom of expression as an integral part of its mandate, the inclusion in this publication of a statement that may be interpreted as an apology of the Holocaust is contrary to UNESCO’s constitutional mandate and values,” a letter from UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova read. “It is totally unacceptable.”...
UNESCO funded pro-Hitler Palestinian magazine
Dec 25, 2011 | JPost & US Department of State
By Jordana Horn

...On December 22, the U.S. Mission to UNESCO contacted the Organization’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, to express its grave concern over press reports regarding the Palestinian youth educational magazine, Zayzafuna, and its publishing of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content in particular a student essay that praised Hitler’s murder of Jews. UNESCO took quick action to disassociate itself from the magazine, and has assured the U.S. Mission to UNESCO...
UNESCO elects Syria to human rights committees
Nov 23, 2011 | UN Watch

No Statement:...In a bid to insulate UNESCO’s administration from criticism, the agency’s executive director, Irina Bokova, insists her hands were tied. She has even broken with protocol in commenting that the executive board’s choice was not a good one. “The director-general and secretariat are bound by the decisions of member states ...
UNESCO inconsistency in protesting Haaretz cartoon
Nov 11, 2011 | UN Watch

No Statement:...But most shocking is UNESCO chief Irina Bokova’s display of inconsistency in having Eric Falt, the agency’s assistant director general for external relations and public information, summon Ambassador Nimrod Barkan to make the protest. In June 2010, UN Watch raised the issue of anti-Semitic and racist caricatures that regularly appear in the state-controlled press...
UNESCO votes to admit Palestine as full member
Oct 31, 2011 | UN News Centre

...“The admission of a new member State is a mark of respect and confidence,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said following the vote. “This must be an opportunity to strengthen the Organization and not weaken it, a chance for all to commit once again to the values we share and not to be divided.” ...
UNESCO votes to admit Palestine; U.S. cuts off funding
Oct 31, 2011 | The Washington Post
By Colum Lynch

...“we are helping governments and communities prepare for life after the withdrawal of U.S. military forces…The issue of Palestinian membership should not be allowed to derail these initiatives, which go far beyond the politics of the Middle East.” ...
UN Watch salutes UN for high-level visit to Auschwitz to combat Holocaust denial
Feb 2, 2011 | UN Watch

...“As the poet and philosopher George Santayana said, ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’,” said UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova, who led the visit with Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, and the Aladdin Project, which seeks to counter all forms of denial and promote a rapprochement of cultures, particularly between Jews and Muslims, based on mutual respect...

Full Text of Stories Below

UN Watch

Elia – Record on Jewish/Israel Issues

UNESCO Director-General Statement regarding Abdullah Murtaja

Nov 14, 2014 | UNESCO

On 14 November, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, issued an update about the statement she issued on 29 August, 2014, regarding Abdullah Murtaja, in the context of UNESCO’s mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.

The original statement issued on 29 August was in line with UNESCO’s policy of condemning all killings of journalists. During this week, information has been brought to the attention of UNESCO that Mr Murtaja was a member of an organized armed group -- an active combatant, and, therefore, not a civilian journalist. This has come to light in a video was posted recently on the Internet with Abdullah Murtaja speaking as a member of an organized armed group.
UNESCO therefore withdraws the statement of 29 August.
“I deplore attempts to instrumentalize the profession of journalists by combatants," declared Irina Bokova. “The civilian status of journalists is critical, especially in situations of conflict, to ensure the free flow of information and ideas that are essential to the wider public and the restoration of stability and peace,” declared the Director-General.
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unesco_director_general_statement_regarding_abdullah_murtaja/#.VNzE5BZlphs

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Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, 29 November 2014

Nov 26, 2014 | UNESCO

Reconciliation, a supreme value of peace

The keynote of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People this year is reconciliation, the supreme value of peace. UNESCO is joining forces with its partners in order to make this principle a reality and to meet the Palestinian people’s need to have access to education, to share information and to promote the value of their rich cultural heritage.

Palestine has been a member of UNESCO since 2011, and our Organization has worked for many decades to boost the institutional capacities of Palestine and support the State-building process. UNESCO contributes, through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to providing education to more than 500,000 children and to the training of teachers, in order to build up a quality education system, open to all and teaching the values of respect, confidence and development.
Furthermore, UNESCO is working within the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2014-2016 for the State of Palestine to improve security in schools and in institutions of higher education, and to support the preservation and restoration of cultural sites.
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in a call to lay the foundations for reconciliation and peace. This call must be heard, and I request all UNESCO Member States to take action to this end. UNESCO undertakes to do its utmost to support those efforts. I take this opportunity to reassert the need to protect schools and cultural sites under all circumstances, including in times of conflict. They are sources of hope for the future as they enable people to grow and develop. Let us invest in them as much as we can to strengthen dialogue and reconciliation.
For story:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/member-states/single-view/news/message_from_ms_irina_bokova_director_general_of_unesco_on_the_occasion_of_the_international_day_of_solidarity_with_the_palestinian_people_29_november_2014/#.VNy5py7-CsJ

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“People, Book, Land: The 3500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land” exhibition opens at UNESCO

Jun 11, 2014 | UNESCO

UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, and the Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Rabbi Marvin Hier, today opened an exhibition on the history of the Jewish people in the Middle East, at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters.

Entitled People, Book, Land: The 3500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land, the exhibition presents an overview of Jewish life in the Middle East from Biblical times to the present through some 30 illustrated panels and texts. It was co-organized by UNESCO and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, and sponsored by the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO of Canada, Israel, Montenegro and the United States of America.
“UNESCO is the first United Nations’ agency to host an exhibition on the links between the Jewish people and the Holy Land. In doing so the Organization is confirming its role as a universal platform for intellectual cooperation and intercultural dialogue,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova at the opening event.
“We have waited a long time for this day,” said Rabbi Hier. “This is truly an historical occasion because it is the first time in the history of the United Nations, through its educational arm, UNESCO, that the UN have co-sponsored an exhibit.”
Some 300 guests attended the opening including Maurice Levy (CEO, Publicis); Baron Eric de Rothschild; Roger Cukierman (President, Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France); Rivka Zell (MidWest Chair of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Member of American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the US Congress); Ambassador Yossi Gal, (Israeli Ambassador to France).
The exhibition will remain open until 20 June.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre is an international Jewish human rights organization based in Los Angeles. Since its founding in 1977, the Centre has drawn on the lessons of the Holocaust and applied them to the analysis of contemporary issues relating to intolerance. The Centre is an official UNESCO NGO partner and is accredited with several other international organizations including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Organization of American States (OAS), Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) and the Council of Europe.
For story:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/people_book_land_the_3500_year_relationship_of_the_jewish_people_with_the_holy_land_exhibition_opens_at_unesco-1/#.VNyesS7-CsJ

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U.S. urged to oppose Bokova’s bid to head UN post over pro-Hamas bias

Jul 18, 2014 | UN Watch

The independent Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch today called on U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power to oppose the candidacy of UNESCO chief Irina Bokova to replace Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General so long as she continues her “selective outrage in support of the Hamas line.”
According to UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer, Bokova, the Bulgarian-sponsored candidate for the UN’s top post, has “rushed to aggressively condemnIsrael for alleged violations of freedom of the press, yet failed to defend UNESCO’s mandate regarding Hamas’ flagrant violations to basic rights of culture and education” when the terror group placed 20 rockets in an UNRWA school, and launched long-range rockets at Israel from “somewhere near” another school.
In a stinging complaint filed by Israel’s representative to UNESCO, Bokova was accused of turning a blind eye as Hamas fired 1500 rockets that robbed Israeli students of their ability to study and take exams, a fundamental exercise of the right to education, and also endangered UNESCO-protected heritage sites across Israel.
This is not the first time that Bokova has looked the other way at Hamas violations, said Neuer. In 2013, Hamas destroyed parts of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in Gaza for use as a terrorist training camp.
“Despite UN Watch appeals,” said Neuer, “Bokova refused to condemn Hamas or to bring the matter before the UNESCO Executive Board for protective action.”
Earlier this year, said Neuer, “Bokova surrendered to Arab pressure by wrongly postponing and then partly censoring a major exhibit on the Jewish people’s age-old connection to the land of Israel.”
According to UN Watch, under Bokova UNESCO continued to rank as the UN’s most one-sided body in singling out Israel for differential and discriminatory treatment.
Since 2009, the year Bokova was elected, Neuer said that “UN Watch has counted no less than 46 UNESCO resolutions against Israel — and only one on Syria, and with zero on Iran, North Korea, Sudan or any other country in the world.”
“This malicious treatment is especially tragic because UNESCO was founded after World War II with the express purpose of combating the doctrine of the inequality of men and races, Today it has sadly become a serial perpetrator of inequality.”
“If Bokova continues to display this pattern and practice of bias and selectivity, we urge Ambassador Power and the United States to vigorously oppose her candidacy to head the UN,” said Neuer.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2014/07/18/u-s-urged-to-oppose-bokovas-bid-to-head-un-post-over-pro-hamas-bias/

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An Open Reply to Bernard-Henri Lévy

Mar 24, 2014 | The Huffington Post

By Irina Bokova

Your blog in yesterday's World Post about the exhibition co-organized by UNESCO and the Simon Wiesenthal Center raises a number of points that require clarification.
You speak of a "misunderstanding," and there is, indeed, a misunderstanding, which was cleared up quickly by UNESCO, even before the publication of your article. I deeply regret that you did not have all relevant pieces of information at your disposal, and I wish to respond to you now in the spirit of respect that I have always felt towards you as an intellectual, as a man of the letters and culture, to dispel this misunderstanding. If I insist on this point, it is because of the high esteem that I hold for your commitment to the truth and the defense of human values -- a commitment that we share.
This exhibition has not been cancelled. It has been postponed -- this was a difficult decision to make -- and it will be inaugurated in the month of June of this year. The postponement reflects a number of points that remain to be finalized, and we are working actively to do so with the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Therefore, to draw a conclusion from this situation about any possible UNESCO bias would represent a dangerous shortcut that would ignore the reality of UNESCO's work and the depth of its commitment to the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of negationism. It goes without saying that such a shortcut should not be taken.
Throughout the four years of my first term as Director-General, I never missed an opportunity to engage in the struggle against anti-Semitism, against negationism and for tolerance and respect of others. The withdrawal of funding by the United States and Israel in 2011 could have led to the suspension of many UNESCO programs, including those relating to Holocaust education. I expressed publicly, and loudly, my deep regret at the decision of these two Member States, while taking every action to quickly ensure not only the continuation but the strengthening of UNESCO's work in this area. If I did so, it is because of my fundamental belief in the values carried forward by this ambitious program that relate to the universal history of humanity. If I continue to do so, it is because I see the fight against intolerance as a daily struggle that can never been suspended. These are my personal convictions, and they guide me in leading UNESCO, as a house of thought and action.
UNESCO is a leading actor in the fight against all forms of intolerance and discrimination. This is why we have organized regular conferences and regional consultations with our Member States on the theme of "Why teach about the Holocaust and genocide?" This is why we provide guidance to Ministries of Education in Africa, in Latin America and elsewhere, on how to introduce these subjects into school curricula, and we review school manuals and programs to strengthen the quality of teaching regarding the history of the Holocaust. In the United States of America, we have just created a UNESCO Chair on the prevention of genocides at Rutgers University. The Pages of Testimony Collection of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Archives of the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, Germany have both been inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, because of their world significance and outstanding universal value. Every year, UNESCO organizes major events to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - to which, once again, you are most cordially invited, on 27 January, at UNESCO.
It is precisely in this spirit that, on 1 February, 2011, I co-led with the Mayor of Paris, Mr Bertrand Delanoë, a historic visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, in the presence of 150 eminent personalities from around the world, including the Arab-Muslim world.
In all this, let me add that UNESCO's cooperation with leading Jewish organizations is well-known and easily verifiable. In November 2012, for instance, a successful International Symposium was held under the auspices of UNESCO on the "Permanence of Yiddish." This was an initiative of B'nai B'rith Representation, also an official partner of UNESCO in associate status, and with the participation of the Paris Yiddish Center -- Medem Library.
For all these reasons, I deeply regret that you did not have all such elements of information at hand, to form a clear understanding of the situation. Let me finish by reiterating that the decision to postpone the inauguration of the exhibition was difficult -- but, in no way, may it be seen as reflecting a partisan position of UNESCO.
In this spirit, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
For story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irina-bokova/an-open-reply-to-bernardh_b_4645210.html

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UNESCO Snubs Israel’s Jews: WSJ Live Interviews Hillel Neuer

Feb 11, 2014 | The Wall Street Journal Live

By Mary Kissel

Wall Street Journal Live interviews UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer on the U.N. cultural agency’s decision to postpone an exhibit on the history of Jews in Israel

After UNESCO invoked Arab opposition and cancelled last week’s scheduled launch of an exhibit on the Jewish people’s 3,500-year relationship with Israel, the agency came under heavy criticism from the U.S. and Canada, many NGOs, and hundreds of emails sent to director-general Irina Bokova by UN Watch followers. Now she promises to open it in June. Can UNESCO be trusted? Click above to watch UN Watch’s Hillel Neuer interviewed on Wall Street Journal Live.
For video:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=13654483

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UNESCO Cancels Jewish Exhibit Under Arab Pressure

Feb 11, 2014 | The Times of Israel

By Hillel Neuer

Days before the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was to launch a landmark exhibit at its Paris headquarters this Monday on “The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel,” curated together with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the world body reneged. (See invitation below.)The surprise here isn’t that UNESCO chief Irina Bokova surrendered to the Arab League’s protest, rudely cancelling an event for which invitations were already sent out, and which involved painstaking work over two years by renowned Hebrew University scholar Robert Wistrich.

Rather, the only surprises here — for an organization that up until several weeks ago grotesquely featured Bashar al-Assad’s Syria on its human rights committee — are that Bokova ever gave her approval in the first place; and that it took this long for the Arab states to wake up, given that the Wiesenthal Center for over two years had been loud and clear that the exhibit was designed to counteract “malicious lies being spread, particularly in the Arab world,” and would be shown “not in a synagogue or Jewish community center, but rather at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the United Nations where this historic truth [the Jewish connection to Israel] is too often buried under an avalanche of lies.” For anyone who knows anything about UNESCO — the first UN body, in November 2011, to deem “Palestine” a state — surrender to Arab pressure on this matter was inevitable.

Despite the repeated claims of the Obama Administration that UNESCO is God’s gift to the Jews, and to humanity, the opposite is true: it is arguably the most anti-Jewish body in the entire United Nations. If the notorious UN Human Rights Council dedicates a full 50 percent of its resolutions to demonizing the Jewish state, at UNESCO the numbers are 100 percent. That’s right: all of UNESCO's condemnatory resolutions are against Israel. First, consider the facts:In 2009, the UNESCO Executive Board adopted eight resolutions against the Jewish state at its 181st session and 182nd session, and then another two resolutions against Israel at the 35th session of the General Conference.In 2010, the UNESCO Executive Board adopted 10 decisions against Israel at its 184th session and185th session.In 2011, the UNESCO Executive Board again adopted 10 decisions against Israel at its 186th sessionand 187th session, and another two resolutions against Israel at the 36th session of the General Conference.
Astonishingly, during this same time period, an examination of all UNESCO decisions and resolutions — just click on the links above — shows that not a single other country was censured even once.
Exceptionally, in 2012, UNESCO condemned Syria for its bloody crackdown, in one resolution. Yet this took place only after Western countries were pressured by UN Watch’s protest against UNESCO’s shameful election of Syria to its committee that judges human rights petitions, as well as to its committee that oversees non-governmental organizations.
This condemnation of Syria was a one-off; it failed to reappear in 2013. Instead, Israel returned once again to being the only country singled out by UNESCO.
Second, consider the audacity: Bokova justified her cancellation of Monday’s Jewish exhibit by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly.
Finally, consider the tragedy: founded after World War II with the express purpose of combating the doctrine of the inequality of men and races, UNESCO today has sadly become a serial perpetrator of inequality.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=13602199

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UNESCO exhibit on Jewish ties to Israel rescheduled for June

Jan 21, 2014 | The Times of Israel

By Haviv Rettig Gur, Raphael Ahren and Rebecca Benhamou Read more: UNESCO exhibit on Jewish ties to Israel rescheduled for June | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-exhibit-on-jewish-ties-to-israel-rescheduled-for-june/#ixzz3RXLUsn2R F

A UNESCO exhibit on the history of the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, which had been set to open Tuesday but was nixed due to pressure from Arab member states, has been rescheduled for June following intense criticism of the organization’s decision.
The exhibit, entitled “People, Book, Land: The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People to the Holy Land,” was authored by Israeli anti-Semitism scholar Prof. Robert Wistrich for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which partnered with UNESCO on the initiative.
The prospect of its showing raised the ire of Arab member states of UNESCO. On January 14, Abdullah Alneaimi, the head of UNESCO’s Arab Group, which consists of 22 member states – including the Palestinian Authority since October 2011 – wrote a letter to the organization’s Director General Irina Bokova expressing “deep concern” over the exhibition, arguing it would disturb the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
“The subject of this exhibition is highly political, though the appearance of the title seems to be trivial,” he wrote. “This cause is championed by those who oppose peace efforts. The media campaign accompanying the exhibition will inevitably damage the peace talks, the incessant efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry and UNESCO’s neutrality.”
Bokova quickly capitulated. In a letter to the Simon Wiesenthal Center on January 15, just days before the opening of the exhibit, which was over two years in the making, she argued that the cancellation arose out of UNESCO’s support for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. “We have a responsibility in ensuring that current efforts in this regard are not endangered,” she wrote.
She recalled her “very firm dedication to building consensus in all UNESCO decisions and resolutions taken by Member States on issues relating to the Middle East.”
There remained “unresolved issues relating to potentially contestable textual and visual historical points, which might be perceived by Member States as endangering the peace process,” UNESCO said in a press release. “In this context, regrettably, UNESCO had to postpone the inauguration of the exhibition.”
The decision was panned by, among others, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, the US State Department (even though it had refused to join Israel, Canada and Montenegro in co-sponsoring it), and Prof. Wistrich — who called it an “appalling betrayal” in a Times of Israel interview.
“I’m not going to hide the frustration in my voice when I say that this decision is a blow to peace, and a slap in the face of every Jew,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the SWC and project director of the exhibition.
“This last-minute cancellation is disrespectful,” said Carey. “It could have been made months ago, but it wasn’t. This makes a statement about the lack of UNESCO leadership. Bokova could have resisted the Arab group’s pressure, but she didn’t. In this case, I see no reason why this exhibition was cancelled, and I don’t understand either why Jews cannot be proud of their own history.”
But on Tuesday, the day originally slated for the exhibit’s opening, UNESCO announced the exhibit would now go ahead in June.
“Following numerous requests for information regarding the Exhibition… UNESCO wishes to reaffirm that the exhibition has not been cancelled but postponed,” a statement from the organization read. “UNESCO is in discussions with the Simon Wiesenthal Center to finalize the last points and inaugurate the exhibition in the month of June.”
The statement noted that “UNESCO is actively engaged in work to promote respect and tolerance, to deepen mutual understanding and to advance intercultural dialogue. We believe that knowledge of history and education are powerful ways to combat discrimination and to build peace. UNESCO programs to promote intercultural dialogue, to teach the history of the Holocaust, to fight against all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and negationism are pillars of this work.”
For story:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-exhibit-on-jewish-ties-to-israel-rescheduled-for-june/

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Factsheet: UNESCO and Israel

Jan 17, 2014 | UN Watch

UN Watch condemned UNESCO's last-minute suspension of a major exhibit at its Paris headquarters on the Jewish people and Israel, under pressure from Arab states, and issued the statement and fact-sheet below.
"UNESCO chief Irina Bokova justified her cancellation of Monday’s Jewish exhibit by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly," said Hillel Neuer, director of the Geneva-based human rights group.
"Sadly, Bokova's decision to sacrifice education, science and culture to backroom political pressure is routine at UNESCO when it comes to Israel," added Neuer.
"Since 2009, UN Watch has counted no less than 46 UNESCO resolutions against Israel, one on Syria, and zero on Iran, North Korea, Sudan or any other country in the world."
"This malicious treatment is especially tragic because UNESCO was founded after World War II with the express purpose of combating the doctrine of the inequality of men and races, Today it as sadly become a serial perpetrator of inequality."
####
FACT SHEET: UNESCO AND ISRAEL
UNESCO RESOLUTIONS AND DECISIONS CONDEMNING COUNTRIES
2009
On Israel: 10
On rest of world: 0 (including Iran, Sudan, Syria, North Korea, etc.)
Data & Sources: UNESCO Executive Board adopted eight resolutions against the Jewish state at its181st session and 182nd session, and then another two resolutions against Israel at the 35th session of the General Conference. Zero on rest of the world.
2010
On Israel: 10
On rest of world: 0 (including Iran, Sudan, Syria, North Korea, etc.)
Data & Sources: UNESCO Executive Board adopted 10 decisions against Israel at its 184th and 185th sessions.
2011
On Israel: 12
On rest of world: 0 (including Iran, Sudan, Syria, North Korea, etc.)
Data & Sources: the UNESCO Executive Board adopted 10 decisions against Israel at its 186th session and 187th session, and another two resolutions against Israel at the 36th session of the General Conference.
2012
On Israel: 8
On Syria: 1
On rest of world: 0 (including Iran, Sudan, North Korea, etc.)
Data & Sources: Four resolutions on Israel and one on Syria at its 189th session, and four on Israel at the 190th session. UNESCO condemned Syria for its bloody crackdown, in one resolution. Yet this took place only after Western countries were pressured by UN Watch’s protest against UNESCO’s shameful election of Syria to its committee that judges human rights petitions, as well as to its committee that oversees non-governmental organizations. This condemnation of Syria was a one-off; it failed to reappear in 2013. Instead, Israel returned once again to being the only country singled out by UNESCO.
2013
On Israel: 6
On rest of world: 0
Data and sources: Resolutions and decisions from and reports on 191st, 192nd and 193rd session.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=13604457

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UNESCO Cancels Jewish Exhibit Following Arab Pressure

Jan 17, 2014 | Arutz Sheva

By Elad Benari

The United Nations’ cultural body has cancelled a Jewish exhibit following Arab pressure, the European Jewish Press (EJP) reported on Friday.
The exhibition, entitled "People, Book, Land - The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel", was co-organized by UNESCO, the UN body for education, science and culture, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The exhibit was scheduled to open next Tuesday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
It was pulled after a group of Arab states, as well as the Palestinian Authority (PA), said they found it "deeply disturbing," reported The Jewish Chronicle.
UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova told the Simon Wiesenthal Center that the decision arose out of UNESCO’s support for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
She said, “We have a responsibility in ensuring that current efforts in this regard are not endangered,” according to The Jewish Chronicle.
EJP said that in a letter to Bokova, the President of the Arab group within UNESCO expressed “deep worry and great disapproval” over the program showing the age old connection between Israel and the Jewish people.
“The subject of this exhibition is highly political though the appearance of the title seems to be trivial. Most serious is the defense of this theme which is one of the reasons used by the opponents of peace within Israel,” he wrote.
“The publicity that will accompany… the exhibit can only cause damage to the peace negotiations presently occurring, and the constant effort of (U.S.) Secretary of State John Kerry, and the neutrality and objectivity of UNESCO.”
“For all these reasons, for the major worry not to damage UNESCO in its… mission of support for peace, the Arab group within UNESCO is asking you to make the decision to cancel this exhibition,” the letter said, according to EJP.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s director of international affairs, Shimon Samuels, said that the center was outraged by the move.
He called for an email campaign to protest against the cancellation, according to The Jewish Chronicle.
The World Jewish Congress also denounced the cancellation. In a statement, its president, Ronald S Lauder, said, “This cancellation of a long-planned exhibit is an outrageous political manipulation of a cultural event”.
The UN Watch NGO also condemned UNESCO's last-minute suspension of the exhibit. UN Watch director Hillel Neuer said in a statement that Bokova justified her cancellation of the Jewish exhibit “by invoking UNESCO’s alleged concern not to endanger the fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Yet somehow this noble principle of caution for peace never stopped UNESCO from excoriating Israel incessantly.”
"Sadly, Bokova's decision to sacrifice education, science and culture to backroom political pressure is routine at UNESCO when it comes to Israel," added Neuer.
"Since 2009, UN Watch has counted no less than 46 UNESCO resolutions against Israel, one on Syria, and zero on Iran, North Korea, Sudan or any other country in the world,” he noted.
"This malicious treatment is especially tragic because UNESCO was founded after World War II with the express purpose of combating the doctrine of the inequality of men and races, Today it as sadly become a serial perpetrator of inequality," concluded Neuer.
The latest move is certainly not the first time that UNESCO has reached anti-Israel decisions. In a controversial decision, UNESCO accepted the PA as a member in October of 2011, after 107 members voted in favor of the motion. Only 14 nations voted against the PA, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Israel.
The move prompted the United States to cut off funding to the organization, due to a longstanding law that prohibits U.S. support for any United Nations-affiliated body that accepts Palestinian Authority membership.
After admitting “Palestine” as a member, UNESCO designated Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and the nearby pilgrimage route as a World Heritage site.
After it succeeded in getting the Church of the Nativity recognized as a World Heritage Site, the PA had announced it would seek to have additional religious sites recognized by UNESCO.
Most recently, a UNESCO “monitoring visit” to the Old City of Jerusalem was called off by Israel after it was discovered that the PA was were trying to "politicize" it contrary to understandings reached by the sides, and to change the action plan UNESCO decided upon in 2010.
The UN group claimed it wanted to visit Jerusalem to catalog the sites, and that the trip was to be professional in nature – and that it would not have a political character. On that basis, the government agreed to allow the group into Israel.

In reality, however, UNESCO officials had set up several meetings with Arab activists, Palestinian Authority figures, and terrorists, giving the visit a political, not professional, character.
For story:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/176427#.VNy5ry7-CsJ

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Full text: UNESCO letter nixing Israel exhibit due to Arab pressure

Jan 18, 2014 | UN Watch

Dear Rabbi Hier, Dear Rabbi Cooper,
Thank you for your letter of 14 January, 2014, regarding the postponement of the inauguration of the exhibition, co-organised with UNESCO and planned for 20 January, 2014, entitled “People, Book, Land – The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People to the Holy Land.” In this regard, I wish to say from the outset that I regret that a number of elements relating to the proposed exhibition by the Simon Wiesenthal Center were still not cleared when I received the letter from the Chairperson of the Arab Group, despite the constructive cooperation and dialogue in the preparatory phases of the exhibition.
As Eric Falt, my Assistant Director-General for External Relations, indicated in his letter of 14 January, 2014, to Mr Shimon Samuels, the postponement of the inauguration follows on the receipt of a letter from the Chairperson of the Arab Group at UNESCO, written on behalf of the 22 Members of the Arab Group to UNESCO, which raises the concern that the exhibition might have a potential impact on the peace process and current negotiations in the Middle East.
UNESCO is deeply committed to the successful outcome of the peace process in order to achieve stability in the region, and we have a responsibility in ensuring that current efforts in this regard are not endangered. As you understand, UNESCO is fully in line with the overall efforts of the UN system to support the peace process in the Middle East. This is precisely why I, as Director-General, have been always committed to deploying relentless efforts in order to achieve consensus on ail the issues falling within UNESCOs educational, scientific, and cultural mandate in order to avoid confrontation and politicization.
Equally, you are well aware I hope, of my very firm dedication to building consensus in all UNESCO decisions and resolutions taken by Member States on issues relating to the Middle East. I would draw your attention, for instance, to the success of the last session of the UNESCO General Conference in this respect. I have repeatedly reiterated that consensus is one of the most viable ways for UNESCO to implement effectively its mandate in the areas of its competence. Consensus is essential to all of UNESCOs work to strengthen the foundations for lasting peace and sustainable development – and this work is directly in line with the wider efforts of the international community to create an atmosphere and conditions conducive to progress in the peace process
This spirit underpins all of my efforts – including, for instance, the very successful International Symposium that we held under UNESCO patronage on 12-13 November, 2012, on the “Permanence of Yiddish,” an initiative of B’nai B’rith Representation, which is also an official partner of UNESCO in associate status, and with the participation of the Paris Yiddish Center – Modern Library.
This same spirit, I would add, guides all of our work to promote education for human rights and peace, including holocaust education, where UNESCO plays a unique and leading role in the United Nations system. Our cooperation with non- governmental organizations, such as the Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations, the International Council of Jewish Women and the World Jewish Congress, just to name a few, bears witness to UNESCOs active cooperation with Jewish organizations.
In this very spirit, and having in mind the delicate phase that the peace negotiations are entering, I have no choice but to take seriously the concerns raised in the letter of the Chairperson of the Arab Group. This is all the more important, as the UNESCO Secretariat is beholden by its rules and regulations to consider fully the concerns raised by its Member States or any Regional Group regarding planned exhibitions or manifestations.
I look forward to discussing these issues further with you in order to define a modality for moving forward with our cooperation.
Thanking you for your understanding, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Irina Bokova
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2014/01/18/full-text-unesco-letter-nixing-israel-exhibit-due-to-arab-pressure/

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Hamas razes historic site for ‘terror training camp’

Apr 20, 2013 | Times of London

By Sheera Frenkel

Times of London, April 18, National Edition, pg. 36,
Palestinian militants in Gaza have started to bulldoze part of a complex of ancient ruins, including the remains of a Roman temple, to build what a UN agency described as “a terrorist training ground”.
Part of the 3,000-year-old Anthedon harbour was seized last month by the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip in defiance of the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank. Last year the mainstream Palestinian administration nominated the ruins as a Unesco World Heritage site.
“It is devastating, very devastating to hear this site is under threat after all the efforts we made to have it recognised by Unesco,” said one Palestinian official based in the West Bank. “It makes us look bad, the Palestinians, that we cannot preserve our own sites.”
The ruins, which were discovered in 1997 but never fully excavated due to the political instability and violence in the Gaza Strip, boast exquisite mosaics and ancient pillars.
Muhammad Khela, a Deputy Minister of Tourism in the Gaza Strip, told the Al-Monitor news site that his ministry had agreed to the area being used to train militants.
“We can’t stand as an obstacle in the way of Palestinian resistance; we are all a part of a resistance project, yet we promise that the location will be used without harming it,” Mr Khela said, adding that if the ruins had been important to the international community, Unesco would have already begun an excavation there.
Ahmed al-Bursh, spokesman for the Hamas Tourism Ministry in Gaza, confirmed that the militants had official approval to train there. “A Palestinian faction asked to use a small part of the location because they already had a training camp next to it and they wanted to expand the training location,” he said. “They did this in co-ordination with our ministry and we agreed as long as they did not use weapons there or dig and damage the site.”
He stressed that while the training camp posed “no harm to the historical site”, the ruins had been damaged during Israel’s last two military offensives in Gaza.
Another official in Gaza, who did not want to be named, said that the land was first seized by the al-Qassam Brigades, a rival militant group, in 2002, who built a small training camp on the edge of the ruins.
“They have now muscled a much larger section there, I would say they are now using 30 per cent of the area we know to be the ruins as a training camp,” he said, adding that he was certain that “important archaeology and history is being destroyed”.
UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitoring group, sent a letter this week to Irina Bokova, the Unesco director-general, calling for immediate action to stop the bulldozing of the port “for use as a terrorist training camp”.
A copy was sent to the European Union foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, calling on the EU to take action.
“Unesco’s admission of Palestine as a member state in 2011, which caused the organisation to lose almost a quarter of its budget when the US suspended its contributions, was justified as a measure to help protect world heritage sites in Palestinian areas,” the letter said. “Yet as Hamas turns a cultural heritage site into a terrorist training ground – the antithesis of culture – the silence of Unesco now places the very credibility of the organisation at stake.” A Unesco spokesman declined to comment.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2013/04/20/times-of-london-hamas-razes-historic-site-for-terror-training-camp/

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UNESCO chief hopeful that US will restore funding despite Palestine vote

Apr 19, 2013 | France 24

Segment below from France 24 interview of UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova, April 13, 2013. See video at minute 7:50.
France 24: Now let’s talk about UNESCO. As I said earlier, you’re based here in Paris, you rely heavily on the subsidies, on the funds that you get from your members. Following the adoption of Palestine as a member of UNESCO, that was in 2011, the United States stopped funding your organization. This is a terrible blow to UNESCO because the share of the US funding represents more than 20% of your budget. Can you settle this issue?
Bokova: Well, it’s a big blow, as you said, and the situation remains very complex, very difficult. Let me say that we are working with the American administration. It is not a deliberate decision taken by the administration to pull out its funding for UNESCO. There were two laws adopted in the 1990s that ban the administration of financing any organization should Palestine become a full member. So it’s a complicated process there. It’s not that the administration does not share our values. I still hope that they can resolve this issue by the end of this year, because if they don’t, they will lose their right to vote.
France 24: Their voting rights. So the United States would de facto become an observer within your organization.
Bokova: Yeah. Officially they will be members, but they won’t be able to vote.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2013/04/19/unesco-chief-hopeful-that-us-will-restore-funding-despite-palestine-vote/

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UNESCO silent as Hamas bulldozes world heritage site to make terrorist training camp

Apr 15, 2013 | UN Watch

The partial destruction of the ancient Anthedon Harbor—which includes the ruins of a Roman temple and archaeological remains from the Persian, Hellenistic, and Byzantine eras—comes exactly one year after the area was nominated by new UNESCO member state Palestine as a World Heritage site.
UN Watch called on Bokova to bring the issue before the UNESCO Executive Board now meeting in Paris.
Although the biannual UNESCO meeting, which runs until April 26, lists five agenda items concerning Palestinian issues—which US Ambassador Killion has described as "highly politicized" and designed to "single out Israel"—there is currently no scheduled discussion to address the month-long Hamas bulldozing of the proposed heritage site for use as a terrorist training camp.
As is the norm at UNESCO, Israel is the only country in the world targeted for criticism at this month's Executive Board session. In this respect, UNESCO arguably ranks as the most anti-Israel agency in the United Nations system.
Last year, only after a major UN Watch campaign, UNESCO exceptionally condemned Syria. Yet nothing is planned on Syria in the current session; on the contrary, the murderous Assad regimecontinues to hold one of 30 coveted seats on UNESCO's human rights committee, absurdly allowing it to judge the human rights records of other countries.
UN Watch's letter as sent today to UNESCO and the EU follows below.
_________
Ms. Irina Bokova
Director General, UNESCO
UNESCO Headquarters
7, Place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
France
cc: Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs
The Obama administration has renewed its request for Congress to let it restore funding to the first United Nations agency to grant full membership to “Palestine,” arguing that defunding runs contrary to U.S. interests. The April 10th requestcame on the same day as UNESCO opened an Executive Board meeting in Paris with five anti-Israel agenda items. No other country is targeted for specific criticism. More
Obama Admin Asks Congress to Restore UNESCO Funding, Seeks $77.7 Million
GENEVA, April 15– In an urgent letter sent today to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova (see letter below), UN Watch demanded immediate action to stop the Hamas bulldozing of a 3000-year-old Gaza harbor for use as a terrorist training camp, asreported by Al Monitor Palestine Pulse. A copy was also sent to EU foreign minister Catherine Ashton calling on the EU to take action.
15 April 2013
Dear Ms. Bokova,
UN Watch is alarmed by the reported destruction by Hamas of parts of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in Gaza for use as a terrorist training camp. We urge you to bring the matter immediately before the UNESCO Executive Board, currently meeting at its 191st session in Paris, for protective action.
We note the tragic irony that this destruction by the rulers of Gaza comes exactly one year after the area was nominated by new UNESCO member state Palestine as a World Heritage site.
As you must know, earlier last month, despite criticism from nongovernmental organizations, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas bulldozed a part of the Anthedon Harbor in northern Gaza along the Mediterranean Sea, according to yesterday's report by Al Monitor Palestine Pulse.
Hamas damaged the harbor in order to expand its "military training" zone, which was initially opened on the location in 2002, according to your own UNESCO representative in Gaza, Yousef al-Ejla.
That the UNESCO executive has so far failed to place the Hamas destruction and cynical abuse of this site on its agenda underscores the tragic politicization and diversion of the agency's mission to protect world culture and heritage.
According to the current UNESCO session timetable, there are in fact four agenda items dedicated exclusively to Palestinian issues: Items 9, 10, 34, and 35, while Item 5 includes a fifth report on this issue. Israel is the only country in the world that is targeted for specific criticism in this session.
Previous UNESCO resolutions on these five items were rightly described by US Ambassador David Killion as "highly politicized" and designed to "single out Israel." The extreme politicization even prompted Russia to successfully oppose discussion of these items, despite vehement Palestinian opposition, at the previous 190th session in October.
UNESCO's admission of Palestine as a member state in 2011, which caused the organization to lose almost a quarter of its budget when the US suspended its contributions, was justified by many as a measure to help protect world heritage sites in Palestinian areas. Yet as Hamas turns a cultural heritage site into a terrorist training ground—the antithesis of culture—the silence of UNESCO now places the very credibility of the organization at stake.
Sincerely,
Hillel C. Neuer
Executive Director
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=13083223

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Damaging History

Apr 15, 2013 | Washington Free Beacon

By Adam Kredo

The Palestinian Authority has failed to respond to U.N. reports that the military wing of Hamas is demolishing ancient historical sites in Gaza in order to construct a terrorist training facility.

Hamas’s military arm, known as Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, isreported to have “bulldozed a part of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in northern Gaza along the Mediterranean Sea” in order to expand a military training camp, according to al-Monitor.

The destruction of important ancient archeological sites has sparked criticism from regional organizations and led the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to demand an explanation.

UNESCO petitioned the PA late last month “to clarify what is being done on the site,” UNESCO spokesman Roni Amelan said in an interview. The letter was sent to the Permanent Delegation of Palestine to UNESCO, one of the few U.N. bodies to accept Palestine as a member.

The PA has not yet responded to UNESCO’s letter, the full text of which is not publicly available, Amelan noted.

Ambassador Elias Wadih Sanbar, the PA’s representative to UNESCO, did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for further comment about the matter.

The Anthedon Harbor is believed to be “the first known seaport of Gaza,”evidencing some of the earliest links between Europe and early Middle Eastern cultures, according to UNESCO. The U.N. body has sought to designate the area an international heritage site.

“The present site consists of a variety of elements which spread in the area from the seashore, including the underwater archaeology, to the inland:
The ruins of a Roman temple and a section of a wall have been uncovered, as well as Roman artisan and living quarters, including a series of villas, testifying of the city of Anthedon,” according to UNESCO. “Mosaic floors, warehouses, and fortified structures are found in the area.”

Remains and artifacts dating back to the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods can be found at the site, according to UNESCO.

Hamas officials admitted the archeological site would be disturbed in order to expand a military training facility, which critics dub a terrorist training ground.

“We can’t stand as an obstacle in the way of Palestinian resistance; we are all a part of a resistance project, yet we promise that the location will be limitedly used without harming it at all,” Muhammad Khela, Gaza’s deputy minister of tourism, was quoted as saying by al-Monitor.

The destruction of Gaza’s archeological sites has led watchdog groups and other human rights advocates to express great concern.

U.N. Watch exerted pressure on UNESCO Monday to resolve the issue and provide the public with answers.

“U.N. Watch is alarmed by the reported destruction by Hamas of parts of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in Gaza for use as a terrorist training camp,” the group wrote in an open letter to UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova. “We urge you to bring the matter immediately before the UNESCO executive board.”

UNESCO’s executive committee is holding meetings this week in Paris. The body is not currently scheduled to discuss this matter.
“That the UNESCO executive has so far failed to place the Hamas destruction and cynical abuse of this site on its agenda underscores the tragic politicization and diversion of the agency’s mission to protect world culture and heritage,” wrote Hillel Neuer, U.N. Watch’s executive director.

The controversy comes amid great upheaval in the PA.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned over the weekend, sparking great concern among Western governments that considered the reformer one of their prime allies.

He reportedly had a strained relationship with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been cited by critics as one of the Palestinian government’s most corrupt politicians.

Abbas had been contemplating firing Fayyad for months, according to reports.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=13084009

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U.S. condemns Syrian membership on U.N. human rights committee as it meets in Paris

Apr 10, 2013 | UN Watch

UN Watch welcomed U.S. condemnation today of Syria’s membership on a 30-country United Nations human rights committee that is meeting in Paris this week, part of a two-week UNESCO Executive Board session that opened today.
UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights NGO, heads a global campaign of more than 50 parliamentarians,human rights and religious groups that has repeatedly called for Syria’s expulsion and urged action by US, the EU and the UN.
“Having the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad as a global judge of human rights is like appointing a pyromaniac to be a firefighter,” said Neuer. “UNESCO is allowing the Assad regime to strut in Paris as a U.N. human rights arbiter — it’s immoral, indefensible and an insult to Syria’s victims.”
Syria is an elected member of the UNESCO executive board, and in 2011 was also elected — after the Assad regime’s massacre of its citizens already began — to two of its human rights committees: the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, which rules on individual human rights complaints against governments, and meets today and tomorrow; and the 23-member Committee on Non-governmental Partners, which oversees the work of human rights groups, and meets tomorrow.
David Killion, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, in response today to a question by UN Watch, said that “the Syrian regime’s actions are an affront to the dignity and human rights of the Syrian people, and it is not fit to sit on this body.”
Ambassador Killion reaffirmed the U.S. government’s strong objection to Syria’s participation in the UNESCO Committee on Conventions and Recommendations stating, “It is indefensible for the Syrian regime to be allowed to stand as a judge of other countries’ human rights records while it systematically violates the human rights of its citizens, commits acts of sexual violence against women and children, and murders its own people.”
UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer saluted the U.S. for speaking out, and urged France, Germany, the UK, and the EU to similarly condemn Syria’s “obscene” membership on the committee, and to take concrete action to remove it. Neuer also called on UN chief Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO director Irina Bokova “to use their moral voice to spur action.”
“Now that both the OIC and the Arab League have removed Assad’s regime from their organizations, there is simply no longer any excuse — morally or politically — for UNESCO to insist on keeping Assad’s regime on a human rights committee that is charged with helping victims worldwide. It’s time for UNESCO to stop legitimizing a government that mercilessly murders its own people,” said Neuer.
Ambassador Killion also told UN Watch that “The Assad regime has repeatedly acted to silence the voice of the Syrian people and to repress independent media attempting to report on its misdeeds. The regime’s brutality has sparked a humanitarian crisis, causing innocent suffering and senseless tragedy. This is a regime willing to exact collective punishment on innocent communities, import fighters from Iran and Hizbollah to help carry out its evil deeds, and destroy the country and its heritage for the sake of its own survival.”
After UNESCO elected Syria to its human rights committee in November 2011, UN Watch launched a campaign to reverse the decision, prompting the US and Britain to initiate a March 2012 debate at UNESCO. However, while a resolution was adopted censuring Syria’s violations — a welcome first for UNESCO — the promised call to oust the regime from UNESCO’s human rights panel was excised.
Last year UN Watch received notice from the British Foreign Office that it would seek to cancel Syria’s “abhorrent” membership. In an email to UN Watch, the UK said it “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation. We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.”
The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called“this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.”
Paris insiders say that UNESCO diplomats from non-democratic regimes are afraid to create a precedent of ousting repressive governments.
“However, now that the Arab League recently removed Assad’s regime, we must take advantage of the new political momentum. It’s time for Britain to uphold its pledge and demand Syria’s expulsion,” said Neuer.
“The Assad regime’s ongoing membership calls into question the credibility of UNESCO’s mission to promote human rights, and Syria’s membership is a lingering stain upon the reputation of the UN as a whole.”
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2013/04/10/u-s-condemns-syrian-membership-on-u-n-human-rights-committee-as-it-meets-in-paris/

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Israel furious at UNESCO decision to back science chair at Islamic University of Gaza

Jul 12, 2012 | Haaretz

By Barak Ravid

Relations between Israel and UNESCO have reached a new low following the organization's inauguration of a Chair in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the Islamic University of Gaza, which Israel identifies with Hamas.
The inauguration, by UNESCO's Secretary-General Irina Bokova, was made possible after the organization accepted Palestine as its 195th member, several months ago.
Palestine's acceptance caused the United States to cut off its funding to the agency.
After holding heated discussions with UNESCO officials on Wednesday, the Israeli ambassador to the agency, Nimrod Barkan, will submit a formal letter of protest on Thursday.
A senior Foreign Ministry source said the Israeli Embassy to UNESCO received a press release from the organization a few days ago saying UNESCO was sponsoring a chair at the Islamic University of Gaza. The chair is seen as a stamp of approval from the international body, implying recognition in the university's importance as an academic institution.
The move angered Jerusalem, especially because the university has served for years as a political hub for Hamas support. Israeli officials said numerous Hamas engineers have been trained at the university to manufacture explosive charges and rockets.
During Operation Cast Lead, in the winter of 2008-2009, the Israel Air Force bombed one of the university's wings, in which Israel said laboratories for rocket and bomb production were located.
Israel was especially furious that the first Palestinian university UNESCO chose to cooperate with was the IUG, rather than other universities in the Palestinian Authority, such as Al-Quds or Birzeit.
Foreign Ministry officials see UNESCO's Bokova as fully responsible for this development and said the cooperation with IUG is part of her campaign to be elected for a second term in 2013.
"Bokova wants to be elected at any price," a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "Third world states have a majority in UNESCO so she's fawning on the Arabs to ensure her reelection. It's another sign of the growing politicization of a UN agency that is supposed to deal with culture, education and science," he said.
Barkan spoke to officials responsible for the Middle East in UNESCO's secretariat on Wednesday. "This is an institution that assists terror and has been involved in terror in the past," he said. "We don't think it was proper to give a chair with such lack of caution, without even checking the institution first."
On Thursday, Barkan is expected to submit an official letter of protest, together with information about IUG's reported ties with Hamas, with an emphasis on the organization's military faction.
"This decision is a combination of irresponsibility and lack of judgment," a senior Foreign Ministry official said. "Before UNESCO gave a chair to the Technion and the Interdisciplinary Center [institutions in Haifa and Herzliya, respectively] they checked things with a magnifying glass. In Gaza no one checked."
A senior Foreign Ministry source said Bokova is now pushing for U.S. President Barack Obama to sign an order to resume UNESCO funding, bypassing Congress legislation.

The legislation was enacted after Palestine was accepted as a full UNESCO member. The United States, which had financed about a quarter of UNESCO's budget, immediately cut off funding to the agency.
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/israel-furious-at-unesco-decision-to-back-science-chair-at-islamic-university-of-gaza-1.450524

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Today: "Scandalous" UNESCO vote to keep Syria on human rights committee

Mar 8, 2012 | UN Watch

A resolution on Syria slated for adoption today (at 3:30 pm Paris time) by the UN’s education, science and culture agency will -- despite vigorous efforts led by the US and Britain -- keep the Assad regime on its human rights committee, revealed UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights monitoring organization, which exclusively obtained a copy of the draft. Click here for draft resolution.
"For UNESCO to keep President Bashar al-Assad on a human rights committee while his regime mercilessly murders its own people is simply immoral, indefensible and an insult to Syria's victims," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, which heads a campaign of 55 parliamentarians, human rights and religious groups calling for Syria's expulsion.
"Today's appalling decision calls into question the credibility of UNESCO's mission to promote human rights, and Syria's membership is a lingering stain upon the reputation of the UN as a whole," said Neuer.
After UNESCO elected Syria to its human rights committee in November, UN Watch launched a campaign to reverse the decision, prompting the US and Britain to initiate today's debate at UNESCO, which was postponed from yesterday.
"While today's text rightly condemns Syria's violations -- a welcome first for UNESCO -- the promised call to oust the regime from UNESCO's human rights panel has been completely excised."
"We're left with words, but no teeth. By maintaining Assad in a position of global influence on human rights, UNESCO today is sending absolutely the wrong message. It an unconscionable insult to the suffering people of Syria," said Neuer.

The weakened resolution is expected to pass today with numbers similar to last week's vote, when Russia tried but failed to remove the Syria discussion from the agenda.
UN Watch predicts that some 34 nations, headed by the US and Britain, will vote in favour of today's watered-down resolution, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Some seventeen are expected to oppose, including Syria itself (it is also a member of the Executive Board), Russia, Cuba, China, Brazil, Angola, Namibia, India, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Several weeks ago, UN Watch had received notice from the British Foreign Office that it would seek to cancel Syria’s “abhorrent” membership.
In an email to UN Watch, the UK said it “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation. We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.”
The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called “this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.”
Neuer applauded the efforts of the US and Britain, but said "it’s sad that a moral majority at UNESCO today to remove Syria could simply not be found” said Neuer.
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Timeline: The UN Watch Campaign to Expel Syria from UNESCO
Nov. 11 - By a consensus decision, UNESCO's 58-member executive board, including major democracies, elects Syria to two human rights committees, ratifying the Arab group's nomination.
Nov. 23 - UN Watch launches campaign urging democracies to reverse Syria's election after story is first reported in the U.S. by FoxNews.com. UN Watch obtains a renunciation by UNESCO director Irina Bokova of of the Assad regime's election. UN Watch's protest is reported by CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Fox News, and the Tribune de Genève.
Dec. 2 - In testimony before the UN Human Rights Council plenary, UN Watch formally calls on UNESCO to "cancel its recent decision to elect Syria to two separate committees that deal with human rights. Even the head of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, concedes that this is wrong. Her spokesperson told UN Watch: 'Given the developments in Syria, the director-general does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the committees.'" UN Watch submits the UNHRC condemnation of Syria to UNESCO, requesting Syria be expelled forthwith.
Dec. 15 - UN Watch launches campaign of of 55 parliamentarians, human rights groups and religious groups calling on UNESCO to reverse the election of Syria, and sends appeal to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and UK Foreign Minister William Hague.
Jan. 6 - UN Watch receives notice from the British Foreign Office that it will seek to cancel Syria’s “abhorrent” membership. In an email to UN Watch, the UK said it “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation. We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.” The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called “this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.” Al Arabiya, Fox News and the Jerusalem Post report the story.
Jan. 25 - UN Watch reveals an exclusive copy of the motion, memo and member states seeking to condemn and expel Syria. The story is reported by the New York Times, AP, Reuters, andBloomberg News, and covered in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Le Figaro, and many other newspapers.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1316871&ct=11658817

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UNESCO praised participation of Syria

Jan 26, 2012 | UN Watch

UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova distanced herself from UNESCO’s election of Syria to two human rights committees, with her spokesperson telling UN Watch, “given the developments in Syria, the Director-General does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the Committees.”
However, only three weeks earlier, her approach toward Syria’s role at UNESCO appeared very different. This is from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), November 1, 2011:
Education Minister Discusses Prospects of Cooperation with UNESCO
PARIS, (SANA)- Syria discussed on Tuesday cooperation with The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the framework of its participation in the UNESCO’s 36th general conference.
Minister of Education Saleh al-Rahed, heading the Syrian delegation, discussed with Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, means of boosting cooperation in all spheres.
The Minister underlined Syria’s support to the reform steps taken by the UNESCO and means of boosting relations with the Organizations and its offices.
“Being a member of UNESCO Executive Council has enabled Syria to participate in setting up the main strategy, plans, and programs of the UNESCO in the framework of seeking to upgrade relation with the organization in order to meet all its goals,” the Minister said.
He pointed out to the joint and vital projects carried out in Syria in cooperation with the UNESCO, expressing desire for further cooperation in the field of providing experts to help implement the activities and programs of the Damascus-based Regional Center for Early Childhood Development.
Al Rashed highlighted the UNESCO’s decision of granting full membership to Palestine, hailing its efforts toward giving the Palestinians their rights.
For her part, UNESCO Director-General underlined the importance of continuing cooperation with Syria in the framework of the Organization’s pursuit to help the member states achieve the activities and programs which are a UNESCO priority, particularly in the field of material and immaterial cultural heritage, education, quality, curricula, early childhood and youth, pointing out that these programs should be based on dialogue.
She said that the decision of granting full membership to the Palestinians has declared the time of real work, as efforts should be combined to achieve the Organization’s goals.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2012/01/13/unesco-officials-frustrated-by-congressional-hold-out-over-funding/

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NGO: UN must condemn stabbing of Palestinian activist who criticized Hamas rights abuses

Jan 17, 2012 | UN Watch

The stabbing in Gaza of a Palestinian rights activist after he criticized the Hamas government for torture, abuse and trampling free speech should be strongly condemned by the United Nations – both as an attack on the victim’s human rights, and on the idea of freedom of expression, a Geneva-based monitoring group said Tuesday.

“This latest attack on a rights activist underscores the brutally enforced intolerance in Gaza for any discourse other the anti-Israel mantras of Hamas, which rules the strip with an iron fist,” said Hillel Neuer, UN Watch executive director.
Masked attackers on Friday stabbed Mahmud Abu Rahma multiple times in the back, leg and shoulders, it was revealed today.
“The attack only proves the truth of the victim's words," said Neuer.
Abu Rahma's article had dared to criticize "the outrageous attack upon free expression and peaceful assembly" by Hamas over the past year, "hundreds of cases of torture and abuse," and Hamas' cynical use of civilians for its combat with Israel.
"The attack raises serious questions about the ability of the Palestinians to create a democratic state where people feel free to question their government without fear of being seriously injured or killed for doing so.

“The attack should be immediately denounced by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and well as Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO, the world agency mandated to uphold press freedom.

“The attack is also serious enough for its implications that even the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, should personally condemn it. No democratically-minded Palestinian could ever hope to have a voice in an independent Palestine if such a reign of terror is allowed to persist.”

UN Watch’s call for UNESCO to act comes as the Geneva-based group heads a campaign comprising 55 parliamentarians, religious groups and prominent human rights activists that is calling on the organization’s executive board to reverse its November decision to place Syria on a pair of committees, one of them dealing with human rights.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=11589309

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Gaza Activist Stabbed After Exposing Hamas Use of Human Shields

Jan 17, 2012 | UN Watch

The stabbing in Gaza of a Palestinian rights activist after he exposed Hamas' contempt for its own people by using them as human shields, and after he criticized the radical Islamic group for torture, abuse and trampling free speech, should be strongly condemned by the United Nations—both as an attack on the victim’s human rights, and on the idea of freedom of expression.
Masked attackers on Friday stabbed Mahmud Abu Rahma multiple times in the back, leg and shoulders, it was revealed today.
This latest attack on a rights activist underscores Gaza's brutally enforced intolerance for any discourse other the anti-Israel mantras of Hamas, which rules the area with an iron fist.
The attack only proves the simple truth of the victim's words.
Abu Rahma's crime was publishing an article in the Palestinian press that dared to criticize Hamas' "outrageous attack upon free expression and peaceful assembly" over the past year, and the "hundreds of cases of torture and abuse."
Abu Rahma also dared to publish basic facts about Gaza that completely contradict the Hamas narrative, and that of the UN's Goldstone Report, which repeatedly found "no evidence" that Hamas used civilians as human shields.
What is remarkable is that with all of the massive UN resources ostensibly dedicated to protecting Palestinians—the 16-member Division for Palestinian Rights, the 20-odd resolutions on Palestinians last year by the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council's special agenda item on Palestinians at every session, resolutions on Palestinians by UNESCO, the WHO and numerous other agencies, the full-time post of "Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Palestine" held by Richard Falk—still, with all that and more, the world body somehow managed to turn a blind eye to the massive violations of Palestinian rights described by Abu Rahma (click here for source):
• Although Abu Rahma considers Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations to be “resistance groups,” he said they "show little or no care for people's life and well being.”
• “Military training sites function and are located in places very close to neighborhoods and/or schools, from where acts of resistance, including firing rockets, also occur.” As a result, “The population of these locations are inevitably vulnerable to Israeli attacks.”
• “Numerous people were injured from live fire coming from resistance groups training sites; including children and at least one man who lost his eye.”
• “There is a training site in the town of Beit Lahiya that threatens people every day, including a girl who was injured inside her school when an explosion occurred in this site on Sep. 20 2011.”
• “Explosions also occur frequently in densely-populated areas around Gaza, and have their victims, many of whom are children.”
• A man in the al-Nasser neighborhood in Gaza city, whose house is near a military training site, “complained to the resistance members many times. He explained the family’s fear for their life and house. But he was told the family could move out of the area, even if they had no resources to move. He died the way he feared most: tragically.”
• “The state of carelessness from the part of resistance is also causing continued victims of the misfiring of home-made rockets that fall on houses inside Gaza. Many of the victims are children and all of them are civilians who happen to be in their homes.”
• “There are more victims of shootings from, or explosions in, training sites. Many children are killed or maimed when explosive devices left in the streets or farms explode in their hands. And there is the young man who was shot in the legs for daring to publicly criticize a local resistance leader.”
If the UN's colossal pro-Palestinian infrastructure would have truly done its job and reported the above simple facts about Hamas perfidy to the world's attention, it is fair to ask whether Abu Rahma would have been assaulted for writing his article.
The incident raises serious questions about the ability of the Palestinians to create a democratic state where people feel free to question their government without fear of being seriously injured or killed for doing so.

The attack should be immediately denounced by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, by Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO, the world agency mandated to uphold press freedom, and by Frank La Rue, the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression.

The attack is also serious enough for its implications that even the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, should personally condemn it.

Our call for UNESCO to act comes as UN Watch heads a campaign comprising 55 parliamentarians, religious groups and prominent human rights activists that is urging the organization’s executive board to reverse its November decision to place Syria on a pair of committees, one of them dealing with human rights.
Britain recently informed UN Watch that it has agreed to challenge Syria's membership, and news reports say the U.S. is playing a leading role in the effort, to be decided at UNESCO's upcoming March session.
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=11589307

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After Embracing PLO, UNESCO Lobbies to Circumvent U.S. Funding Penalty

Jan 13, 2012 | UN Watch

UNESCO officials are braced for “months” of back-and-forth with the United States as they seek restoration of U.S. funding following mandated cuts in response to the Paris-based agency’s embrace of “Palestine” as a member, diplomatic sources report.
One confirmed that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has been seeking ways to effect a waiver of the law that mandates immediate cessation of Washington’s contributions to any UN agency that allows Palestinian membership. But this official added that the one key person holding out is Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Indeed, the Florida Republican launched a call this week for the United States to “strengthen and preserve” the funding prohibition law. In a press release, she says that the Obama administration has “failed” in what she describes as efforts to “gut” the law and restore Washington’s UNESCO contributions.
She also warns that granting a waiver to the law would encourage more UN agencies to embrace the Palestine entity.
The funding prohibition law makes no provision for a presidential waiver in the absence of Congressional consent, which Ros-Lehtinen – speaking in the wake ofrenewed Palestinian pledges to advance the Palestinian statehood cause at the UN – restates that she strongly opposes.
“As the Palestinian leadership continues their destructive statehood scheme at the UN, the U.S. must act decisively to stop this ruse,” Ros-Lehtinen says in her statement released Monday.
“Other than our Security Council veto, the only roadblock in Ramallah’s way is that by law, the U.S. must cut off funding to any UN body that grants membership to ‘Palestine.’”
Ros-Lehtinen says the law has deterred other agencies from opening their arms to the Palestinians, and that any dilution of it would have the opposite effect.
“The Administration wants Congress to gut U.S. law and let the Administration fund UN bodies that support the Palestinian statehood scheme,” Ros-Lehtinen’s statement says.
“But the Administration’s diplomatic efforts have failed to seriously impede the scheme; in contrast, leveraging our funding to the UN has succeeded, as others see that we mean business and that they can’t take reckless, anti-Israel actions with impunity.”
The statute emerged in the wake of successful efforts by President H.W. Bush to prevent the Palestine Liberation Organization – which preceded the Palestinian Authority – from joining agencies such as the World Health Organization and UNESCO.
“If we abandon this strategy now, we would telegraph an ‘all clear’ for UN bodies to grant de facto recognition of a Palestinian state,” Ros-Lehtinen warns.
The Congresswoman calls for the United States to respond with funding cuts to any UN gesture that enhances Palestinian status within the world body.
“We must further strengthen U.S. law to cut off funding to any UN body that not only grants membership to ‘Palestine,’ but even grants some other upgraded status to Ramallah,” she urges.
“That is how to stop this dangerous Palestinian scheme in its tracks. Any maneuvers to undercut current law will serve to pave the way forward for the Palestinians.”
Irina Bokova, UNESCO director general, lobbied for a restoration of U.S. funding during a three-day visit to Washington last month, making the case that programs in Iraq and Afghanistan would be affected.
The United States provides all UN agencies with 22 percent of their respective budgets. UNESCO was also no exception to being granted extra-budgetary funding for specific programs.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2012/01/13/unesco-officials-frustrated-by-congressional-hold-out-over-funding/

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UK announces bid to remove Syria from UNESCO rights committee

Jan 6, 2012 | UN Watch

UN Watch applauded the UK for announcing today that it will act with other countries to expel Syria from two UNESCO human rights committees, as the government disclosed in an email sent today to the Geneva-based human rights group, which heads a campaign of 60 MPs and rights activists to remove the Assad regime from the global posts (see text of Dec. 15 appeal below).
On November 11, UNESCO’s 58-nation executive board, which includes the UK, US, France, Britain, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Denmark, ratified the Arab group’s nomination of Syria to two committees dealing with human rights (details below).
However, in an email sent today to UN Watch responding to its December joint appeal, a representative of the Foreign Office stated that the UK “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation.”
“We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.”
The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called “this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.”
“We congratulate the UK and its allies for doing the right thing,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer.
“It’s shocking that only two months ago the UN’s leading agency on science, culture and education gave two position of global influence on human rights to a regime that is raping, torturing and killing its own men, women and children.” said Neuer.
“This was an unconscionable decision that must be reversed immediately, and we hope that all 58 countries on the UNESCO board will join the UK in doing do.”
Links:
* UNESCO list showing Syria on the two committees
* Membership of 58-member UNESCO executive board which elected Syria
*****************
.
Appeal for UNESCO to Cancel Its
Election of Syria to Human Rights Committees
Launched on Dec. 15, 2011
Shocked that the UNESCO Executive Board, on 11 November 2011, elected the Syrian Arab Republic to two committees dealing with human rights—the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, which examines communications relating to the exercise of human rights, and the Committee on International Non-Governmental Organizations, which is charged with overseeing the work of civil society and human rights groups within UNESCO;
Having considered the recent findings of United Nations Human Rights Council investigators that the Syrian regime has in the past year committed crimes against humanity, including the murder of 5,000 of its citizens, the torturing of children and rape;
Recalling that earlier this year, after United Nations Watch revealed that Syria had cynically submitted its candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, a global protest campaign emerged with the support of Human Rights Watch, the Syrian Human Rights Committee, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and numerous other NGOs and UN stakeholders, helping to successfully defeat the candidacy of the Assad regime;
Guided by the principled opposition expressed by the UNESCO Director-General herself, Ms. Irina Bokova, who has stated that she “does not see how the Syria can contribute to the work of the committees”;
Declaring that each day that the Syria continues to sit on the aforementioned UNESCO human rights committees constitutes an affront to the memory of the innocents who continue to be killed by the Assad regime, and casts a shadow upon the reputation of UNESCO, and of the United Nations system as a whole;
We, the undersigned Members of Parliament, human rights organizations, civil society representatives and pro-democracy dissidents and activists, do hereby appeal to the UNESCO Executive Board to urgently remove the Syrian regime from the aforementioned human rights committees, and to publicly apologize to the victims of the Syrian regime for having elected it in the first place.
Angie Bray, Member of British Parliament
Sénateur Jacques Brotchi, French Community Parliament of Belgium
Frieda Brepoels, Belgian Member of European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Human Rights
Irwin Cotler, Member of Canadian Parliament, Liberal Critic for Human Rights, Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Human Rights
Michael Danby, Member of Australian Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs
Ana Gomes, Potuguese Member of European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Human Rights
Matteo Mecacci, Member of Italian Parliament, Chairman of Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Riccardo Migliori, Member of Italian Parliament, Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Karin S. Woldseth, Member of Norwegian Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs
Jordi Xuclà i Costa, Member of Spanish Parliament, Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, UN Watch, Switzerland
Rami Nakhle, Syrian National Council
Lama Atassi, Syrian democracy activist
Ismael Hachem, President, France Syrie Démocratie
Ahed Al Hendi, Syrian dissident, Cyberdissidents.org
Yang Jianli, Former prisoner of conscience and survivor of Tiananmen Square massacre, President, Initiatives for China
Dr. Osama Kadi, President, Syrian Centre for Political and Strategic Studies
Robert R. LaGamma, President, Council of the Committee of Democracies
Amina Bouayach, President, Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains, Morocco
Yang Kuanxing, Chinese writer, original signatory to Charter ’08 manifesto calling for political reform in China, Editor of China E-Weekly
Abdinoor Farey, Executive Director, Somali Youth for Peace and Development, Somalia
Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
Dr. Harris O. Schoenberg, President, UN Reform Advocates, USA
Okay Machisa, National Director, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association, Zimbabwe
Phil ya Nangoloh, Executive Director, NamRights, Namibia
Nguyên Lê Nhân Quyên, Delegate, Vietnamese League for Human Rights, Switzerland
Catherine Legna, Secrétaire général, Comité international des Juristes pour la défense des victimes de la répression du soulèvement en Iran, France
Peter Hesse, Director, Peter Hesse Foundation, Germany
Francois Ullmann, President, Ingénieurs du Monde, France
John Suarez, International Secretary, Directorio Democratico Cubano
Sylvia G. Iriondo, President, Mothers and Women against Repression / MAR por Cuba
Don Kraus, Chief Executive Officer, Citizens for Global Solutions, USA
Dr Richard Lawson, Founder, Campaign for Global Human Rights Index, UK
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions, Canada
Hu Ping, Editor in Chief, Beijing Spring
Wang Longmeng, President, Chinese-Tibetan Association France
Christina Fu, President, New Hope Foundation, USA
Duy Hoang, Spokesman, Viet Tan, Vietnam
Jacky Mamou, President, Collectif Urgence Darfour, France
Panayote Dimitras, Spokesperson, Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
Dr. Theodor Rathgeber, Forum Human Rights, Germany
Dickson Mugendi David Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International, Kenya
Gibreil Hamid , Darfur Peace and Development Centre, President, Switzerland
Alain Jakubowicz, President, Ligue Internationale Contre le Racisme et l’Antisémitisme, France
Sr Catherine Waters, OP, Main Representative to UN, Catholic International Education Office, USA
Simone Abel, Director, René Cassin, United Kingdom
Jean Stoner, SNDdeN, NGO Representative at the United Nations, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, USA
Dr Charles Mwape, President, Christian Coalition, Zambia
David French, former Chief Executive Officer (2003-2009), of Westminster Foundation for Democracy, an agency of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Virginia Swain, Director and CoFounder, Center for Global Community and World Law, USA
Orrvar Dalby, Director International Program Department, Norwegian People’s Aid, Norway
Nirvana González Rosa, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network, Chile
Angelamaria Loreto, President, IUS PRIMI VIRI International Association, Italy
Galina Nechitailo, Vice President, Environmental Women’s Assembly, Russia
Ali Egal, Chairman, Fanole Human rights & Development Organization, Somalia/Kenya
Léonie de Picciotto, Representative to the UN Geneva, International Council of Jewish Women, Switzerland
Kyung B. Lee, President, The Council for Human Rights in North Korea, Canada
Sven Thiberg, Architects Designers Planners for Social Responsibility (ARC PEACE), Sweden
Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization, Nigeria
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2012/01/06/uk-announces-bid-to-cancel-syrias-abhorrent-membership-on-unesco-rights-committee-2/

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UNESCO to stop support for Palestinian magazine

Dec 25, 2011 | The Jerusalem Post

By Jordana Horn

After protests from the US Ambassador to UNESCO, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the American Jewish Committee to UNESCO’s director-general over a UNESCO-assisted Palestinian children’s magazine that published an essay extolling Adolf Hitler, UNESCO agreed to withdraw its support from the publication Thursday.

UNESCO had provided funds to an NGO, Zayzafouna, which published a magazine of the same name. The magazine Zayzafouna, as reported by Palestinian Media Watch, published an article in February 2011 by a 10- year-old Palestinian girl who recounted a dream in which Hitler told her: “Yes. I killed them [the Jews] so you would all know that they are a nation who spreads destruction all over the world.”

“While UNESCO upholds freedom of expression as an integral part of its mandate, the inclusion in this publication of a statement that may be interpreted as an apology of the Holocaust is contrary to UNESCO’s constitutional mandate and values,” a letter from UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova read. “It is totally unacceptable.”

UNESCO’s support for the magazine, the letter continued, aimed to fight against perpetuating stereotypes that lent themselves to violence. Saying that UNESCO was “shocked and dismayed” by the content of the February issue, the letter stated that UNESCO has sought more detailed information from the magazine’s editors and the Palestinian Authority. “[We] strongly deplore and condemn the reproduction of such inflammatory statements in a magazine associated with [UNESCO’s] name and mission and will not provide any further support to the publication in question.

“The Organization, which is deeply committed to the development and promotion of education about the Holocaust, disassociates itself from any statement that is counter to its founding principles and goals of building tolerance in the full respect for human rights and human dignity,” the letter stated.

Many, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the AJC, welcomed the decision.

“The ongoing failure of the Palestinian Authority to reform its textbooks and other educational materials regarding Israel and Jews is a huge obstacle to achieving a culture of peace,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “Children taught to hate at an early age too often live lives filled with hate.”

Others demanded more reform in UNESCO’s infrastructure.

“UNESCO’s cancellation of funding for a Palestinian children’s magazine that extols Hitler and the mass murder of Jews is a belated step in the right direction, but it’s far from sufficient,” Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based NGO UN Watch, said. “How and why did UNESCO fund this hatred in the first place? Who was responsible?”

Neuer said UN Watch endorses the call to investigate the circumstances of the funding to make sure it doesn’t recur.

“UN officials cannot credibly demand accountability from others when they refuse to examine their own actions – especially those that incite to racial discrimination and genocide,” Neuer said.

“Regrettably, this latest incident only underscores that UNESCO is, too often, failing to live up its own values and mission. More than 60 MPs and human-rights groups, headed by UN Watch, are demanding that UNESCO also cancel its recent election of Syria’s murderous regime to two global human rights posts,” he said.
For story:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/UNESCO-to-stop-support-for-Palestinian-magazine

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UNESCO funded pro-Hitler Palestinian magazine

Dec 25, 2011 | JPost & US Department of State

By Jordana Horn

The U.N.'s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization funded a Palestinian children's magazine that published an article praising the Nazi genocide of six million Jews, reported Palestinian Media Watch last week. After a global outcry, UNESCO has now agreed to withdraw its support. UN Watch is demanding a full investigation.
   UNESCO to stop support for Palestinian magazine
   By Jordana Horn, Dec. 25, 2011

“UNESCO’s cancellation of funding for a Palestinian children’s magazine that extols Hitler and the mass murder of Jews is a belated step in the right direction, but it’s far from sufficient,” Hillel Neuer, executive director of Geneva-based NGO UN Watch, said. “How and why did UNESCO fund this hatred in the first place? Who was responsible?”

Neuer said UN Watch endorses the call to investigate the circumstances of the funding to make sure it doesn’t recur.

“UN officials cannot credibly demand accountability from others when they refuse to examine their own actions – especially those that incite to racial discrimination and genocide,” Neuer said.

“Regrettably, this latest incident only underscores that UNESCO is, too often, failing to live up its own values and mission. More than 60 MPs and human-rights groups, headed by UN Watch, are demanding that UNESCO also cancel its recent election of Syria’s murderous regime to two global human rights posts,” he said.  Click here to join Facebook peitition urging UNESCO to expel Syria.
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Statement by U.S. Mission: Ambassador David Killion Condemns Anti-Semitic Publication and calls on UNESCO to Block Funding
On December 22, the U.S. Mission to UNESCO contacted the Organization’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, to express its grave concern over press reports regarding the Palestinian youth educational magazine, Zayzafuna, and its publishing of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content in particular a student essay that praised Hitler’s murder of Jews. UNESCO took quick action to disassociate itself from the magazine, and has assured the U.S. Mission to UNESCO that all funding of the publication has stopped. U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion asked Director-General Bokova to investigate the circumstances of this event, to ensure it does not happen again in the future.
Ambassador Killion said, “Director-General Bokova was very clear in her message to the Palestinian Authority when they joined UNESCO. She told them that ‘…membership in UNESCO goes beyond raising the flag. It comes with rights and responsibilities. It means sharing values – the values of tolerance, respect for others.’
The decision that UNESCO took today to condemn this magazine’s hateful content will, I hope, be a strong signal to the Palestinian leadership that its messages to the international community and the messages it teaches to its young must be the same, and must move towards peace.”
For story:
http://www.unwatch.org/cms.asp?id=2811096&campaign_id=63111

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UNESCO elects Syria to human rights committees

Nov 23, 2011 | UN Watch

UNESCO’s executive board, which includes the US, France, the UK and other Western democracies, unanimously elected Syria to a pair of committees – one dealing directly with human rights issues – even as the Bashar al-Assad regime maintains its campaign of violence against its own citizens.
The Arab group at UNESCO nominated Syria for the spots, and though the 58-member board approved the pick by consensus on Nov. 11, the agency has not yet posted the results on its website.
Syria’s election came just a day before the League of Arab States moved to suspend Syrian membership of that body.
“The Arab League’s suspension of Syria is stripped of any meaning when its member states elevate Syria to UN human rights committes,” says Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch.
“It’s shameful for the UN's prime agency on science, culture and education to take a country that is shooting its own people and empower it to decide human rights issues on a global scale. Regrettably, the pressure to bow to consensus – part of the go-along-to-get-along tradition at the UN – can drag everyone down to the will of the lowest common denominator.”
Neuer highlights that the executive board’s decision should not be all that surprising, given the body “recently welcomed serial human rights abusers as new members, like Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Pakistan and Russia.” Syria was already on the executive board, noted Neuer, "as were other countries with poor human rights records, including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, China, Vietnam and Algeria."
The UN says Syria’s crackdown on opposition protests has left more than 3,500 people dead over the past eight months.
“By rewarding the murderous Syrian regime with badges of international legitimacy, UNESCO has endangered core interests of the U.S. and its allies, undermining national security, regional stability and democratic values.”
Syria will serve a second two-year term on the 30-member Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, which examines “communications … relating to the exercise of human rights,” according to UNESCO’s Web site. Syria also joins the 23-member Committee on International Non-Governmental Organizations, which is mandated to encourage approved activist groups to help further UNESCO’s overall goals.
In a bid to insulate UNESCO’s administration from criticism, the agency’s executive director, Irina Bokova, insists her hands were tied. She has even broken with protocol in commenting that the executive board’s choice was not a good one.
“The director-general and secretariat are bound by the decisions of member states and are not supposed to comment on them,” said Sue Williams, UNESCO chief spokesperson.
“Yet given the developments in Syria, the director-general does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the committees.”
The criticism of the member states’ move comes as Bokova, on behalf of UNESCO, is struggling to overcome a sudden cut in U.S. funding to the agency after another controversial decision – namely the vote late last month by a majority of UNESCO’s 194 member states to admit Palestine as a full member.
The United States pays 22 per cent of the budgets of all UN agencies, and cut its payments to UNESCO because of longstanding U.S. legislation that prohibits funding any part of the UN that admits Palestine, which is not recognized by the UN as an independent country.
Still, Bokova herself provoked headlines earlier this month when she had one of her senior communications directors summon the Israeli ambassador at UNESCO to complain about a cartoon the Israeli newspaperHaaretz had printed.
Haaretz said the cartoon was an obvious dig at the Israeli government’s anger over the decision to admit Palestine.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, comments on the developments at UNESCO by saying the agency “continues to outdo itself with stunning and dangerous behavior.”
While the United States and some key allies, including Britain and France, are members of the UNESCO board, Western democracies are in a minority on the body. Canada, which joined the United States in opposing Palestinian membership of UNESCO, but is not a member of the executive board, told UN Watch it regrets the move to elevate Syria.
“While Canada was not involved in this decision, we find it deeply  disturbing that Syria was designated by the Arab regional group at  UNESCO as a member of the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, given the Assad regime's continual and repeated violation of human rights,” said Joe Lavoie , a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. “Canada strongly and firmly continues to call on Assad to step aside.”
UN Watch pointed out Tuesday that a resolution supported by an overwhelming majority in the UN General Assembly’s “third” committee – which deals with human rights – defers to Syrian demands for respect of its “territorial integrity” and “political independence” – even as it strongly condemed Syria for its violent crackdown.
Full story:
http://www.unwatch.org/cms.asp?id=2750557&campaign_id=65378

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UNESCO inconsistency in protesting Haaretz cartoon

Nov 11, 2011 | UN Watch

In a letter of protest handed to Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO on Wednesday, the agency’s director general complained about a cartoon published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, saying it constituted “incitement” and “endangers the lives of unarmed diplomats.”
The November 4 cartoon depicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak sending an air force squadron to attack Iran, with Netanyahu ordering, “And on your way back, you’re gonna hit the UNESCO office in Ramallah!”
First of all, Haaretz is a frequent critic of the Israeli government, and this cartoon was clearly meant as a wry referral to the government’s anger at UNESCO for having accepted Palestine as a full member. And so it’s ironic that the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, whose mandate includes press freedom, should object to such legitimate commentary – especially since it appears in a country whose laws protect freedom of speech.
But most shocking is UNESCO chief Irina Bokova’s display of inconsistency in having Eric Falt, the agency’s assistant director general for external relations and public information, summon Ambassador Nimrod Barkan to make the protest.
In June 2010, UN Watch raised the issue of anti-Semitic and racist caricatures that regularly appear in the state-controlled press of Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Oman and elsewhere. Our compelling testimony before the UN Human Rights Council described several cartoons that we showed were “reminiscent of the Nazi era.” We wonder whether the UNESCO chief or her spokesman have ever said anything about those cartoons.
Many of the cartoons depict the UN as being controlled by evil Jewish forces. We are not aware of any UN agency having ever been concerned about the safety of its staff based on what they show.
Finally, in many similar instances in the past, UN officials used a traditional and effective way to response to news stories that they did not agree or wanted to clarify: they submitted a letter to the editor. Edward Mortimer, Director of Communications for Kofi Annan, publilshed several such letters to the New York Times. Imagine if they had summoned the US Ambassador.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2011/11/11/unesco-blasts-haaretz-inciting-cartoon/

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UNESCO votes to admit Palestine as full member

Oct 31, 2011 | UN News Centre

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today voted to admit Palestine as a full member of the Paris-based agency.
UNESCO’s General Conference, the agency’s highest ruling body, took the decision by a vote of 107 in favour to 14 against, with 52 abstentions, according to a news release.
The move brings the total number of UNESCO member States to 195.
“The admission of a new member State is a mark of respect and confidence,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said following the vote. “This must be an opportunity to strengthen the Organization and not weaken it, a chance for all to commit once again to the values we share and not to be divided.”UNESCO’s General Conference, the agency’s highest ruling body, took the decision by a vote of 107 in favour to 14 against, with 52 abstentions, according to a news release.
Ms. Bokova voiced concern by the “potential challenges” that may arise to the universality and financial stability of UNESCO. “I am worried we may confront a situation that could erode UNESCO as a universal platform for dialogue. I am worried for the stability of its budget.
“It is well-known that funding from our largest contributor, the United States, may be jeopardized,” she noted. “I believe it is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that UNESCO does not suffer unduly as a result...
“UNESCO’s work is too important to be jeopardized,” she stressed.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, asked about the UNESCO decision during a press conference in New York, said that it is up to Member States to ensure that the UN system as a whole has consistent political and financial support.
“As such, we will need to work on practical solutions to preserve UNESCO’s financial resources,” he stated.
He also emphasized once again the urgency of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing that the two-state solution is “long overdue.”
For its membership to take effect, Palestine must sign and ratify UNESCO’s constitution, which is open for signature in the archives of the Government of the United Kingdom in London.
Admission to UNESCO for States that are not members of the UN requires a recommendation by the agency’s Executive Board and a two-thirds majority vote in favour by the General Conference.

The General Conference, which consists of the representatives of the States that are members of the agency, meets every two years, and is attended by member States and associate members, together with observers for non-member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
It is tasked with setting the programmes and the budget of UNESCO. It also elects the members of the Executive Board and appoints, every four years, the Director-General.
The current 36th session of the General Conference began on 25 October and will run through 10 November.
UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.
For story:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40253#.VNy5qS7-CsJ

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UNESCO votes to admit Palestine; U.S. cuts off funding

Oct 31, 2011 | The Washington Post

By Colum Lynch

UNESCO voted Monday to admit Palestine into the organization as its newest member, and the United States promptly responded by cutting off funding for the agency.
Acting under a legal requirement to cut U.S. funds to any U.N. agency that recognizes a Palestinian state, the State Department on Monday announced that the United States has stopped funding the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization because of the vote. Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters that the Obama administration would not make a planned $60 million payment to the agency due this month.
The vote at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters follows a stalled effort by the Palestinians to seek recognition as a U.N. member state. It signaled that the Palestinians intend to pursue membership in a number of specialized U.N. agencies, which have their own rules for membership and where the United States does not have veto power.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, expressed disappointment with the U.S. intention to cut funding to the agency.
“We hope that the United States will not take such a step,” he said. “The world is changing, and the Arab region is changing as well, so it is better to move toward recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people, rather than adopting the same old policies which have proven to be fruitless.”
The vote came amid a surge of cross-border violence between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military. Gaza militants fired several rockets into Israel on Monday after an Israeli drone strike overnight left two Palestinians dead. Egypt continued its efforts to mediate an end to the violence.
Since Saturday, rocket exchanges and Israeli airstrikes have left 12 militants and one Israeli civilian dead. Most of the rocket firing has been carried out by Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed militant group.
The UNESCO membership bid, which required approval by two-thirds of the agency’s General Conference, passed by a vote of 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions.
Huge cheers erupted in the Paris meeting hall when the Palestinian membership was approved, news agencies reported. France cast a surprise yes vote, drawing applause from the delegates. The United States, Israel, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany were among those voting no.
The United States provides UNESCO with more than $80 million a year, covering about 22 percent of its budget, thus making any cutoff painful. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said she supports a cutoff of aid as mandated under U.S. law.
“Today’s reckless action by UNESCO is anti-Israel and anti-peace,” she said in a statement. “It rewards the Palestinian leadership’s dangerous scheme to bypass negotiations with Israel and seek recognition of a self-declared ‘Palestinian state,’ and takes us further from peace in the Middle East.”
“We recognize that this action today will complicate our ability to support UNESCO’s programs,” said David T. Killion, the U.S. ambassador to UNESCO, who characterized the Palestinian bid as “counterproductive” to pursuing peace in the Middle East.
After the vote, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing the membership bid as a “unilateral Palestinian move which will bring not change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement.”
The prohibition on U.S. funding of U.N. agencies that recognize a Palestinian state was included in two pieces of legislation that were signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and President Bill Clinton in 1994.
The 1990 law prohibits the appropriation of funds “for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as a member state.”
In 1994, Congress barred funding “any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.”
The latest Palestinian move comes as congressional appropriators are looking for cuts in foreign aid spending and the Republican-controlled House, especially the Foreign Affairs Committee led by Ros-Lehtinen, is keen to impose cuts on the United Nations for considering the Palestinian statehood drive.
Fearing cuts, UNESCO’s director-general, Irina Bokova, appealed to the United States not to punish the organization for the decision of the agency’s executive board, which is comprised of representatives of UNESCO member states. In a letter to The Washington Post, she said UNESCO “supports many causes in line with U.S. security interests” from Afghanistan to Iraq, where “we are helping governments and communities prepare for life after the withdrawal of U.S. military forces.”

“The issue of Palestinian membership should not be allowed to derail these initiatives, which go far beyond the politics of the Middle East,” she added, citing UNESCO’s work in tsunami early warning in the Caribbean and the Pacific. “None of this is in the interest of UNESCO. Nor do I believe it’s in the interest of Americans.”
For story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/unesco-votes-to-admit-palestine-over-us-objections/2011/10/31/gIQAMleYZM_story.html

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UN Watch salutes UN for high-level visit to Auschwitz to combat Holocaust denial

Feb 2, 2011 | UN Watch

Kudos to the UN for taking a determined stance against Holocaust denial and organizing this trip to Auschwitz. This is an instance where the UN’s moral authority could have a big impact. The UN News Service reports:
COMBATING HOLOCAUST DENIAL, UN LEADS DELEGATION TO AUSCHWITZ CAMP
Top United Nations officials led a visit by 150 eminent personalities and representatives of 40 Governments today to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and most notorious of all the Nazi death camps, to combat denial of the Holocaust of millions of Jews and others during the Second World War.
“As the poet and philosopher George Santayana said, ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’,” said UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova, who led the visit with Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris, and the Aladdin Project, which seeks to counter all forms of denial and promote a rapprochement of cultures, particularly between Jews and Muslims, based on mutual respect.
“The genocide of the Jewish people was a unique and paradigmatic event that helps us to understand other historical genocides and other atrocities worldwide that originate in racism and hatred. If we understand them, we can avert them in the future,” she added.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro stood with Ms. Bokova in homage before the wreath-bedecked memorial at the camp where over one million people, mostly Jews, perished until it was liberated on 27 January 1945, a date now commemorated by the UN as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. She, too, stressed the vital need to counter Holocaust denial.
“We must always remember the millions of innocent Jews and countless members of other minorities who were systematically murdered at Auschwitz and the other death camps. We must counter anyone, anywhere, who seeks to deny the Holocaust or diminish its significance,” she told a news conference yesterday in Paris ahead of the visit. “Every day of the year, the United Nations strives to heed the lessons of that horror.”
In remarks at the camp today, she highlighted the crucial importance of educating the world on the atrocities of what happened to prevent a repetition. “That is why the United Nations General Assembly called for an outreach programme to develop educational materials about the Holocaust,” she said. “To help people understand what happened here and across the vast sea of extermination camps – so that it may never, ever happen again.”
Among those in the delegation were President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference; former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder; former Croatian President Stepjan Mesic; former Mauritanian President Mohamed Vall; and Mevlut Cavusoglu of Turkey, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Representatives of the heads of State of Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey also participated as did the mayors of 12 cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Overall, some six million Jews are estimated to have been killed in the Holocaust along with countless Roma, Slavs, homosexuals, disabled people, Jehovah’s witnesses, Communists and political dissidents.
“The purpose of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau is to underline the horrific consequences of Nazi and Fascist ideology on the Jewish people and countless members of other minorities, and to inspire political, religious and intellectual leaders around the world to combat the denial of the Holocaust and all forms of intolerance and dehumanization,” UNESCO said in a news release.
The Paris-based agency has strengthened its education programme on Holocaust remembrance and human rights thanks to new funds received from Israel. The programme develops school curricula and provides training for teachers about the Holocaust and human rights, with the goal of promoting a culture of peace.
This year, UNESCO organized two exhibitions at its Paris headquarters, ‘The Shoah in Europe’ giving an overview of the Holocaust from the rise of Nazism to the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals in 1946, and one presenting the original manuscript of the diary kept by Sorbonne student Helen Berr from April 1942 to February 1944. Helen and her family were deported to Auschwitz in March 1944.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1979.
For story:
http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/2011/02/02/un-sponsors-high-level-visit-to-auschwitz-to-combat-holocaust-denial/

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