Israel rejects the decision of the GA of UNESCO of the 31st October accepting Palestine as a member state of the organization

           The United Nations' cultural agency decided on Monday to give  the Palestinians full membership of the body, a vote that will boost  their bid for recognition as a state at the United Nations.
UNESCO is the first UN agency the Palestinians have joined as a full member  since President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership of the United  Nations on Sept. 23.
Israel rejects the decision of the General Assembly of UNESCO of the 31st October accepting Palestine as a member state of the organization. This is a unilateral Palestinian maneuver which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement. This decision will not turn the Palestinian Authority into an actual state yet places unnecessary burdens on the route to renewing negotiations. Israel believes that the correct and only way to make progress in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians is through direct negotiations without preconditions. Consequently Israel welcomed the Quartet's declaration of the 23rd September and is ready to work on this basis. The Palestinian move at UNESCO, as with similar such steps with other UN bodies, is tantamount to a rejection of the international community’s efforts to advance the peace process. Israel thanks those countries which displayed a sense of responsibility and opposed this decision in the UNESCO General Assembly. It is disappointing that the European Union, which is working to renew the direct negotiations and opposes the Palestinian move, could not reach a unified position to prevent this decision. Following the decision to accept Palestine as a regular member of UNESCO, the State of Israel will consider its further steps and ongoing cooperation with the organization. Washington is likely to cut funding to UNESCO over the vote. "The action today will complicate our ability to support UNESCO," David T.  Killion, US ambassador to UNESCO, told journalists after the vote. "The US has been clear for the need of a two-state resolution, but the  only path is through direct negotiations and there are no shortcuts, and initiatives like today are counterproductive." US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice called the vote "deeply damaging" to the UN cultural agency and "no substitute for direct negotiations." (18,22)