Palestinian Leaders to Seek UNesco Membership Amid Tensions with Israel

Palestinian leaders are set to ask for Palestine's admission as a member of the UN cultural and scientific organization, Unesco, in a bid to gain international recognition and pressure Israel. The move comes ahead of a UN Security Council vote in November on whether Palestine should become a full United Nations member state. Israel and the US are strongly opposed to the Palestinian bid, with the US threatening to cut funding to Unesco if it is approved.

Key Takeaways:

The Palestinian leaders will ask for Palestine to be admitted as a member of Unesco on October 31, with the US warning it will cut funding to the organization if the bid is approved.
The Palestinian move is aimed at gaining momentum ahead of a UN Security Council vote in November on whether Palestine should become a full United Nations member state.
Israel and the US are strongly opposed to the Palestinian bid, with the US threatening to cut $70m (£43.7m) of funding to Unesco if it is approved.
The Palestinian move has put Unesco in a bind, as the organization's funding from the US accounts for over 20% of its entire budget.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked for Palestine to become a full UN member state, with the UN Security Council expected to vote on this bid in November.
The US has said it will use its veto to block the Palestinian bid for full UN membership, but this veto power does not apply to Unesco.

Statistics:

$70m (£43.7m) - the amount of funding the US contributes to Unesco annually.
20% - the percentage of Unesco's entire budget that the US funding accounts for.
193 - the number of members in Unesco.
October 31 - the date on which the Palestinian leaders will ask for Palestine to be admitted as a member of Unesco.
November - the month in which the UN Security Council is set to vote on whether Palestine should become a full United Nations member state.

Sources:

World Jewish Congress (WJC)