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Nuclear Watchdog Faces Huge Cuts Over Palestine

November 2, 2011 RSS Feed Print

The United States was forced to pull its funding for the UN's top education organization when the world body let Palestine join its ranks. But could the world's top nuclear watchdog be next?

A long-standing law forbids the United States from funding the United Nations or any of its agencies that recognize Palestine as a member. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization already lost $60 million in U.S. aid after it recognized Palestine as a "member state" October 31.

"I am worried about the stability of [UNESCO's] budget," said UNESCO Secretary General Irina Bokova in a statement. "It is well known that funding from our largest contributor, the United States, may be jeopardized. It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure that UNESCO does not suffer as a result."

[Read: Peter Roff: For Israel, President Obama Must Stand up to UNESCO.]

But according to some media reports, the International Atomic Energy Agency could also lose its more than $100 million a year in U.S. funding if it too decides to admit Palestine.

The United States, as the agency's biggest contributor, is set to give more than 25 percent of the IAEA's nearly $450 million budget in 2012.

But, beyond emptying the agency's pockets, cutting IAEA funds could also diminish the United States' international esteem on nuclear issues, particularly on proliferation and security of fissile materials.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the turmoil in the Middle East.]

Though the State Department has been working with Congress to reverse the funding restraints, time may be running out. If Palestine succeeds on pressing the IAEA for recognition before a fix is found, the United States may have to forfeit its seat at the IAEA table. It's unclear whether the nuclear watchdog may be a bit more cautious before taking that plunge after seeing what happened to UNESCO's bottom line.

Tags:
UN,
nuclear power,
energy,
energy policy and climate change,
Palestine,
Israel

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The USA has acted as the United States of Israel for long enough. Recognize Palestine and cut aid to Israel.

Bravo to UNESCO for recognizing Palestine...who cares about the pipsqueak $80 million dollars that the USA gives to to UNESCO....it's time for Americans to stop the tens of billions of dollars in aid that parsitic Israel gets year after year and which has gone on for fifty plus years without a peep from the Congressional Budget Office and sell-out AIPAC Al politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties and which now amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars (check out the website to get a better idea of the parsitic welfare state that Israel has become on We, the American Taxpayer):

http://www.ifamericaknew.org/stats/114bill.html

As far as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, goes, she is an Israel-Firster who would sell out the USA into the United States of Israel.

Like most most American politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties who have simply become slaves of the American Israel Public Affairs Committtee (AIPAC), she has her tongue slavishly buried so far up where the sun doesn't shine in the backside of AIPAC that she won't say squat about why Israel (who Israel-Firsters constantly claim is so economically great and advanced and such a success and blah blah blah....), continues to feed off the trough of America like some sort of leech to a cost amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars and still counting!!!.

After all, if Israel is as successful as Israel-Firsters claim, then it is is only reasonable to expect that it will be able to stand on its own instead of coming cap in hand like a street corner hobo demanding never-ending charity from Americans without any end in sight. After all, countries of comparable size to Israel like Sweden and Norway are all making it on their own without needing or asking for American aid.

Logically, the tax dollars of hard-working Americans should be reserved for truly needy third world countries like Ethiopia, Angola, and so on and not a so-called successful nation like Israel is (as Israel-Firsters constantly claim Israel is!!!!).

Ohhhh well, I guess Israel-Fisrters from AIPAC have so well corrupted America's body politic that Americans have only started to notice how Israel-Firster politicians like Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, betrays America and our values and that her actual allegiance is to Israel and not to America.

Fellow Americans should demand that Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and other American politicians initiate an effort to get on the record the actual testimony of eyewitnesses and survivors to Israel's murderous attack on the USS Liberty where Israel murdered 34 unarmed young American sailors and injured hundreds more in international waters (including strafing survivors in life rafts), as the official web site of the survivors shows:

http://www.gtr5.com/

lance of NY 11:02AM November 08, 2011

Meantime it is being reported that there will be no more UN bids to these agencies by the Palestinians because of the loss of US funds. Goes to show that if the world stands up to terrorists the terrorists will back down. Time for the West to stop its Quisling behavior.

Paul54 of CT 2:05PM November 03, 2011

What's the point of admitting "Palestine" to the IAEA?

They have nothing to contribute, and nothing to gain by membership (other than notoriety)

hmp49 of NC 8:58PM November 02, 2011

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