UNESCO at last Suspends Voting Rights of the United States and Israel

Not before time:

UNESCO has suspended the voting rights of the United States and Israel, two years after both countries stopped paying dues to the U.N.'s cultural arm in protest over its granting full membership to the Palestinians. The U.S. decision to cancel its funding in October 2011 was blamed on U.S. laws that prohibit funding to any U.N. agency that implies recognition of the Palestinians' demands for their own state. Israel also pulled its funding, objecting to what it called unilateral attempts by the Palestinians to gain recognition of statehood. Both countries missed a 1100 GMT Friday deadline to provide an official justification for non-payment and a plan to pay back missed dues, a UNESCO source told Reuters. That automatically triggered suspension of their voting rights.

So, Arthur Houghton and his "influential friends in Congress" can kiss goodbye to their fond dreams that they will influence UNESCO to rethink antiquities regulations. Once again on Obama's watch, US foreign relations goes even further into decline as they isolate themselves further from the international community they once aspired to lead. Antiquities collectors and dealers may rejoice, may kid themselves and hope this means the end for the ideals of UNESCO, but they should reflect on the fact that there is much more to the Organization than an illicit antiquities Convention they don't like. 


Reuters, 'U.S., Israel lose voting rights at UNESCO over Palestine row', Fri Nov 8, 2013.

Al Jazeera, US and Israel lose UNESCO voting rights', Al Jazeera 08 Nov 2013 (Video).