U.S. halts funding to UNESCO

JERUSALEM – A decision by the U.N.’s cultural organization to admit Palestine as a member state set off a confrontation between the United States and the United Nations, threatening to strip Washington of influence in several key international agencies while cutting off a major source of contributions to the world body.

The Obama administration said it would cut off funding for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization just hours after the group on Monday voted 107-14 to accept the Palestinian Authority as a full member. The UNESCO action triggered U.S. laws from the early 1990s that bar Washington from giving money to any U.N. body that grants state status to Palestine.

U.S. officials said they would block a planned payment of $60 million due to the group next month, and warned that they could be forced to halt payments for other U.N. groups as well if they accede to Palestinian requests for full membership.

The cutoff deprives UNESCO of 22 percent of its funding, and could force the agency, which focuses on literacy, human rights and the preservation of historic sites worldwide, to soon begin laying off employees, diplomats said.

At the same time, U.S. officials warned that American interests could be damaged if Washington is forced by similar future votes to cut off funding for other international agencies essential to U.S. business and security interests.

One such body, the U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization, helps U.S. high-tech, entertainment and other industries protect their property rights, including patents, around the world. The group’s bylaws require that members who fail to pay their dues eventually lose their voting rights.

U.S. officials huddled with high-tech lobbyists Monday to warn them that Palestinian membership in the intellectual property group “would have serious implications for U.S. leadership in this organization,” the State Department said in a statement.

“We see considerable potential damage if this move is replicated in other U.N. organizations,” said Victoria Nuland, the chief State Department spokeswoman.

Palestinians have talked about seeking membership in additional international bodies, including the World Trade Organization and the International Criminal Court.

The Palestinian Authority approached UNESCO after prospects dimmed for the bid it began in September to win full membership in the U.N. Security Council. The United States has said it would veto that proposal.

While UNESCO membership will take the Palestinians only a short way toward their goal of enhanced international standing, it embarrassed the Obama administration by highlighting its relative isolation on the issue.

Obama administration officials complained that the UNESCO move was also a blow to U.S. efforts to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations.