CAIRO: The government of South Africa announced that it looks forward to ushering in Palestine as the 194th member of the United Nations in a statement. South African authorities stated that they were familiar with Israel's apartheid-style politics, and urged UN member countries to vote in favor of Palestinian statehood. “South Africa's support of the Palestinian UN bid stems from its familiarity with Israel's apartheid policy in Palestine,” Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouthi said Wednesday. “South Africa wishes to reaffirm its conviction: that Palestine is a state, that Palestine is a peace-loving state, and that Palestine is willing and able to carry out its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations,” South African authorities added. However, Palestinians are well aware that their chance of achieving full UN membership are low, as the US has vowed to veto their bid. The US veto will automatically dismiss the vote, and the Palestinian case will have to be reopened at the UN General Assembly. Consequently, Palestinians are still hoping for full membership in UNESCO, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said on Wednesday. This is done despite US threats to pull funding from the UN cultural agency. Riyad al-Maliki said there were “great threats … that if Palestine's membership of UNESCO is approved, the United States will stop its assistance to that organization.” In a letter published by the Washington Post Monday, UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova asked the United States to continue funding the organization. “The UNESCO-US relationship is so intertwined that I cannot imagine the United States disengaging,” she wrote. Reuters reported Wednesday that a vote in UNESCO in favor of the Palestinians would automatically cut off US aid under American law. UN support constitutes 22% of the agency's funding. The UNESCO Board, which is made up of 58 member states, each serving a four-year term, voted on the request for Palestinian membership on Wednesdat. Forty 40 members voted in favor of admission, four against, and 14 gave a blank vote. The Board's recommendation for admission will now be submitted to UNESCO's General Conference, which will run from October 26 to November 10. It requires a two-thirds majority vote to take effect. Achieving full member status in UNESCO will not change any of Palestine's ongoing issues, but it could allow Palestinians to stand stronger in future negotiations. UNESCO is the one UN body Palestinians can apply for without having full membership at the UN. Also, UNESCO membership might enable Palestinians to obtain protection for their world heritage sights, allowing them to reclaim important landmarks in their territories. BM
