Phyllis Bennis writing in Salon about the UNESCO Palestine vote:
Apparently the U.S. made the judgment that stiffing the organization, risking the likelihood of being kicked out on its unilateralist behind, is a price worth paying – to make the unsurprising political point that Washington is not happy about Palestinian statehood on any terms other than its own. Palestine’s right to membership in this particular world body means UNESCO can make the determination that Palestine, rather its occupying power Israel, has the right to nominate World Heritage Sites in its own territory, such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It may not be the “independent and sovereign Palestinian state” the U.S. claims it supports – but it certainly helps achieve a few of Palestine’s long-denied rights. And the 20 years of U.S.-controlled “peace process” has produced nothing for Palestinians except a tripling of illegal Israeli settlers on their land – certainly nothing remotely resembling a Palestinian state.
The decision to withhold the dues was in the interest of the foreign policy 1 percent — Israel and its most hard-line supporters in the U.S. – not in the interest of the rest of us. In fact there are potentially hazardous consequences ahead for a lot of us, including some of those most of the time part of the 1 percent. Because achieving full membership in UNESCO is only the first step in the broader Palestinian plan at the UN.
Other organizations will follow – and one of the first is likely to be WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization. WIPO is hardly a household word but it is an important entity. WIPO figures out how to protect patents, royalty arrangements and trademarks, so not only cultural workers but the biggest high-tech industries have a huge investment there too. That’s why the Obama administration convened a high-power meeting of corporate giants – Google, Microsoft, Apple and others – the day before the UNESCO vote, to see if they might have ideas to get out of the impasse.
It’s complicated, because this isn’t just a political decision by the administration to cut the funding. Congress passed specific legislation, dating back to 1991 and 1994, requiring the U.S. government to do just that – to withhold funds from any UN agency that recognizes Palestine on an equal basis with other states. And those laws didn’t include the kind of presidential waiver congress often adds when they know they’re passing really stupid resolutions that are just for domestic political consumption. Like every year when members of Congress demand that the U.S. move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem – something no country in the world does– they always include language that says “unless the President certifies that keeping the embassy in Tel Aviv is in the national security interest of the United States.” That’s the out.
Who pays the price?
This time, there’s no obvious out. The problem is that if the United States has to leave WIPO, a lot of powerful corporations are going to be very unhappy. After WIPO, which UN agencies will be next to be de-funded? Will it be the International Atomic Energy Agency, on whose reports U.S. strategists rely to figure out Iran’s nuclear power program? If an IAEA member state doesn’t pay its dues, will it still have access to the agency’s classified reports? Will it be the World Health Organization, leaving the U.S. Centers for Disease Control outside of the global collaborations it depends on to fight the spread of devastating diseases?
And that’s all just talking about what affects the U.S. and Americans directly. What happens to children – the world’s children, living across the impoverished global South – when UNICEF loses 22 percent of its budget? UNICEF is probably the most popular UN agency in the United States – will this year’s Halloween trick-or-treat Pennies for UNICEF campaign mark the last U.S. money to support the children’s fund?
There has rarely been a clearer example of domestic politics – in this case influence of the pro-Israel lobbies – undermining national interests. Senator Lindsay Graham, one of the most influential Republicans on foreign policy, said “There’s a lot of bipartisan support for cutting off funding to any political U.N. organization that would do this. What you are going to do is eventually lose congressional support for our participation in the United Nations. That’s what’s at risk here. That would be a great loss.” But while claiming to recognize U.S. interests in the UN agencies, Graham still plans to introduce a Senate resolution calling for withdrawal from UNESCO – or any other UN agency recognizing Palestine on an equal basis. Graham is known as the most pro-UN among Republicans (admittedly a low bar). Yet as The Cable reported, “when it comes to the issue of Palestinian recognition, the politics just don’t allow any room for compromise, he said.”
Does the Nonproliferation Treaty oblige the U.S. to participate in the IAEA?
“There has rarely been a clearer example of domestic politics – in this case influence of the pro-Israel lobbies – undermining national interests.”
same can be said for canada…
The US Government is autistic when it comes to Palestine. Actively sabotaging its own interests . The same crap over and over again.
seafoid, what is sad for me is to see a right wing conservative gov’t here in canada trying to outdo the usa in the zionist dept… this has never really happened here in canada before, but we now have harper to thank for the love of all things zionist given his christian fundamental viewpoints….
Good analysis. The important thing here, one hopes, is that the oligarchy that controls USA policy and governance is (at least as to I/P) single-minded: the various BIGs either care a really lot about Israel (BIG ZION, BIG ARMAMENTS) or don’t care at all. So the 1% is — in effect — aligned together on this. SO FAR. Now there may be fissures and crumbling and elements of the 1% may see that their interests require combating BIG ZION here. So I hope.
Be fun to be a fly on the board-room walls.
Jeremy Ben Ami of J Street has weighed in, excoriating US for cutting UNESCO funding.
Principled, right?
Wrong.
Ben Ami is not concerned with the “lost”ness of the US move; Ben Ami is worried that US might go on to defund IAEA, in which case, Israel’s favorite tarbaby, Iran, might not be so readily beaten with a stick.
Under the ironic caption, “Tell Congress: Stop the insanity,” J Street sent out an email blast that said:
Well, be careful what you wish for, Jeremy. It may be that IAEA, should it remain a supported part of UN, will grow a pair and demand that Israel come clean on its nuclear weapons.
THAT would be the best of all responses to the question Michele Steinberg addressed to a panel at a Middle East Policy Council forum in July 2010 –
One thing’s for sure, Ms. Steinberg — and Mr. Ben Ami: A US Congress that was “insane” enough to bow and curtsey to Bibi Netanyahu is NOT the body that will resolve your fears.
Note what the US is expected to do according to today’s Guardian.
UK military steps up plans for possible US strike on Iran nuclear facilities
link to guardiannews.com
I wonder what Guardian’s primary source was? Both JPost and haaretz picked this up with Guardian as their source.
I did find this reported over at DEBKAfile, aka the Mossad propaganda arm:
link to debka.com
If there is going to be a strike on Iran’s nuclear site(s) then it will be a unilateral one by Israel. No matter who does such a thing, it will be a suicide move with drastic consequences.
Do the neocons really want $10/gallon gas? That’s just the least-case scenario outcome. The talking heads and Israel firster lawmakers can say anything they want, I pray Obama would give the order to shoot down the IDF aircraft while crossing Iraqi air space.
I’ll take AIPAC over J-Street; at least I know what I’m getting with the former!
It didn’t take long for high tech and Hollywood to notice the impending financial disaster of the Unesco vote.
“Palestinian UNESCO Bid May Pit Pro-Israel Lobbyists Against Hollywood”
link to huffingtonpost.com
“Other organizations will follow – and one of the first is likely to be WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization. WIPO is hardly a household word but it is an important entity. WIPO figures out how to protect patents, royalty arrangements and trademarks, so not only cultural workers but the biggest high-tech industries have a huge investment there too. That’s why the Obama administration convened a high-power meeting of corporate giants – Google, Microsoft, Apple and others – the day before the UNESCO vote, to see if they might have ideas to get out of the impasse”
I doubt Obama convened the Corp gaints to see if they had “any ideas”.
More likely he convened them to get them to pressure countries that might admit Palestine to the WIPO by threatening to withdraw investments and business from them if vote for Palestine. A lot of the
countries have a lot to lose if US multinationals take their business and jobs elsewhere. Besides telling the US Corps to go ahead and take their jobs back to America and pay more for labor these countries have only one option……they have to get together before hand and all agree to give the corps the same answer……leaving them no country to play off against another with this threat. Or for them all to drop out and pirate the hell out of US tech, moves, music, everything..that would sure as hell get the 1% corps attention.
A real game of chicken this would be.
I am waiting for the non superpowers to boycott US goods, not that we have many US produced goods to boycott any more, but it would be another bite out of the elephant.
if it weren’t for the infernal, insidious parasite known as the israeli lobby firmly choking our country about its neck, we would think clearly and act in our own self-interest and favor freedom and democracy … our reaction to the UNESCO vote is yet another travesty of US actions in support of the awful creature that is israel
UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears
British officials consider contingency options to back up a possible US action as fears mount over Tehran’s capability
link to guardian.co.uk
link to cnn.com
Iran threatens to ‘punish’ any Israeli attack
By Shirzad Bozorgmehr and Kevin Flower, CNN
updated 3:30 PM EST, Wed November 2, 2011
Iranian military official: We will use “suitable equipment” to punish any attack
Israel test-fires a rocket propulsion system
The events come amid speculation in Israel about possible military plans
Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Iran issued a warning to Israel on Wednesday, with a top military figure saying Iran will “punish” any threat.
“The United States is fully aware that a military attack by the Zionist regime on Iran will not only cause tremendous damage to that regime, but it will also inflict serious damage to the U.S.,” said Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, commander of the joint chiefs of staff, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
“We, as the military, take every threat, however distant and improbable, as very real, and are fully prepared to use suitable equipment to punish any kind of mistake,” he added, according to a CNN translation of his remarks.
Another semi-official Iranian news agency, ISNA, published a story in English quoting Firouzabadi as saying, “The U.S. officials know that Zionist regime’s military attack against Iran will inflict heavy damages to the U.S. seriously as well as Zionist regime.”
Canada too, cuts funding for UNESCO
link to ynetnews.com
Canada is joining the US in cutting off funding for the UN cultural agency UNESCO because it approved a Palestinian bid for full membership. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Tuesday the decision is not in the best interests of peace in the Middle East, so Canada
is freezing all future voluntary contributions to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Canada contributes about $10 million a year to the agency. The United States has also announced it will pull its $60 million in funding from UNESCO, which depends heavily on American funding. The UNESCO vote represented a fallback plan for the Palestinian leadership after its bid for UN recognition as a state and full membership in the global body foundered in September. (AP)
i have to admit i was a little embarrassed the morning after disclosing on one of our past threads, the depths of my admiration for Phyllis Bennis. so i will spare you all more gushing. but if i may for those of you who have not taken the time to follow the salon link, here is the opening:
this really speaks to me. after attending the oakland OWS rally today…no wonder the lobby thugs are there in force. (yes, they approached us with our signs and took photos and questioned us about ‘why not china’) the last thinng they want is for us to call attention to the 1% driving these insane pro israel policies. bring it on….
thanks phyllis (if you are reading this), thanks for everything. you continually rock my world.