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| Palestinian flag hoisted at UNESCO, and Map of Palestine: "The image of the great conspiracy led by Qatar" Hamas hopes it'sjust a technical mistake - Not reported at PIC |
In a significant diplomatic victory for the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian flag was hoisted on Tuesday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, a first at a UN agency.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas proclaimed the flag raising as the first step towards full recognition of Palestine.
"This admission is a first recognition of Palestine," Abbas said at the ceremony in Paris.
"It is moving to see our flag raised today at a UN agency. I hope that this will be a good omen for Palestine's admission to other international organizations."
Palestine won admission into the UN's cultural agency in October, with an overwhelming majority of nations in favor of the Palestinian bid, 107-14.
The bid is part of a campaign by Abbas to gain full recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
Abbas is seeking full UN membership for Palestine, but his plans may be thwarted as any application would need to pass through the UN Security Council, where the US holds a veto.
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| Flag of Palestine Flies at UNESCO The United States, Canada, Germany and Holland voted against Palestinian membership. |
The US withdrew funding for UNESCO after Palestine was successfully admitted, forcing UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, to announce drastic savings.
Washington is the largest sole contributor to UNESCO, making up 22 percent of the agency's budget.
Israel also reacted angrily to Palestine's admission, slapping a freeze on tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority before the Israeli cabinet lifted the ban earlier this month.
Israel is also accelerating the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, announcing this week the building of 40 new settler homes in Bethlehem.
But US and Israeli pressure has not deterred Abbas, who remains adamant in achieving full recognition of Palestine from the international community.
"We are currently holding talks with the parties," he said when asked about the Security Council at a press conference.
"We have not yet asked for a vote but this could happen at any moment. If we don't have a majority, we will repeat our request again and again."
"We intend to address all international organizations," he said, adding: "But we will choose the right time to do this." *
UNESCO's Bokova welcomed Palestine at the ceremony in Paris, expressing hope for a peaceful solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
"A solution with two states living in peace and security has been long-awaited," she said.
"I'd like to believe that this admission to UNESCO is a chance to show that peace is also built through education and culture."
* It is is not the moment to open a front against Israel, therfore, PA gave-up its 6 months presidency term in Arab league.
"The PA ought to press the new rulers of Egypt to make the Egyptian commitment to honor and uphold the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty subject to Israeli treatment of the Palestinian people. The same thing applies to all new governments and regimes in the Arab world. This is what everyone would call smart politics." he said
His brother Ibrahim Hamami, based in LONDON wrote in Libya Today:"One of the most important direct results of Arab revolutions it dropped masks on many self-anointed culture and thought and even organizations and movements, (hinting to Hezbollah) which stood at the beginning with Egypt and Tunisia revolutions, then quickly changed the course when the train of change regulations reached the so-called revolutionary regimes) trading in everything, especially when the Syrian regime start shaking the verge of collapse to follow previous systems of oppression and domination.
Shocked, defeated psychologically and on the ground, they dislike what is happening, They find difficult to accept that the world has changed, that the slogans of the past century and its cries and silly media no longer have a place among the people revolted, with space media (Al-Jazeerah) conveying what's happening moment by moment by the sound and image.
In a desperate attempt, perhaps in a miserable awakening before final doom, they are trying to grab the news here or there, even if the sites have not been heard of before, or from blogs or unknown sources, everything important to distort the image of the revolutions...."
Piling up higher, he ended his piece of...
We promised them with every revolution to rejoice their defeat and our next gloat will be soon from free Damascus, God willing, that's a promise! (without losing a single nato life)
The next Syrian President, blessed by Nato guide (Mufti) will "cut Damascus's relationship to Iran & end arms supplies to Hezbollah & Hamas!'
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