Netanyahu freezes UNESCO funding

JERUSALEM. November 4. KAZINFORM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday announced that Israel would stop its funding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in the wake of a vote on Monday admitting the Palestinian delegation as a full member.

"Such moves do not advance peace, but rather push it further away," Netanyahu said in a statement sent to Xinhua, referring to the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) ascension to the world cultural body.

"The only path to achieving peace is via direct negotiations without preconditions," Netanyahu said.

According to Xinhua, the prime minister directed relevant government authorities to redirect the two million U.S. dollar in annual funding that Israel provides the Paris-based organization "towards other initiatives cooperating to achieve the same goals in the area."

The United States also cut off UNESCO funding after the vote, which amounted to some 60 to 80 million dollars annually, making up about 22 percent of the organization's budget.

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