[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UNESCO
(Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, when UNESCO admitted a nonexistent
State of Palestine to its membership, it did so knowing U.S. law
prohibits funding to any entity at the U.N. that grants the PLO the
same status as other member states.
The members of UNESCO also knew that admitting the so-called
Palestine would have a negative impact on the future of the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process; yet they enthusiastically welcomed Abu Mazen
at UNESCO.
The only explanation for UNESCO's willingness to allow these
consequences to pass is that its members view the delegitimizing of
Israel as its mission. They view helping Abu Mazen to unilaterally
establish the de facto recognition for a Palestinian state as a worthy
means to an end.
We must not only block any attempt by the administration to restore
funding to this entity which clearly has an agenda opposite to
America's interests, but we must also work to block Abu Mazen's
attempts at the U.N. to bypass his obligations to Israel by continuing
his unilateral statehood scheme.
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