I explained that these claims are based on lies from Israel and its supporters that recent UNESCO resolutions deny Jewish connections to heritage sites in East Jerusalem and Hebron, both of which are in the occupied West Bank.

“I welcome Israel’s announcement that it plans to withdrawal from UNESCO and encourage Israel to go much further and to withdraw from other UN agencies and indeed from the United Nations altogether,” I told Maté. “I think that would be fitting, since Israel has since its establishment, shown nothing but utter contempt for the United Nations, utter disregard for international law, and is in violation of more UN resolutions by far than any other state.”

We also spoke about the recent “reconciliation” agreement signed by Hamas and Fatah. In spite of celebrations and fanfare, I warned that major obstacles remain – principally that Israel and its international backers reject any dealings with Hamas unless it surrenders its weapons and gives up the right to resist Israel’s occupation.

I said that this rejectionism by Israel and its international backers is making next Gaza war more likely

Watch the video above.

For more on these topics, read my article on the UNESCO, and Omar Karmi’s analysis of the latest round of intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks.

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Comments

a good clear summation by Ali Abunimah

Permalink tom hall replied on Sun, 10/15/2017 - 14:55

Thanks for this excellent exposition. There's no reason to expect the latest pact between Hamas and Fatah to produce a result that previous agreements failed to deliver. The contradictions are just too fundamental. And when the breakdown occurs, Israel will use the occasion to launch another savage attack on Gaza.

As for Israel's departure from UNESCO and the U.S.' refusal to pay its agreed subvention, the pair of them would be doing the world a favor if they withdrew altogether from the United Nations. In a world made up of corrupt and murderous states, those two still manage to sully any gathering with their own unique compound of lawlessness and hypocrisy.

The USA has no interest in

Permalink rosemerry replied on Sun, 10/15/2017 - 19:14

The USA has no interest in education, culture or science under the potustrump maladministration. UNESCO is better off without it and Israel. Cutting funding to UNESCO is typical of the US disdain for international peace.

The USA and Israel do not care about international law, so may as well leave the UN as well.

All we need now is for more countries to resist the US/Israel takeover of international events (as we see now with the attempted destruction of the JCPOA and even Iran itself) which hardly anyone in the world wants to see.

Why no comment on Hamas' surrender to Abbas and Fatah?

Permalink Jeff Blankfort replied on Sun, 10/15/2017 - 20:33

Far bigger news than the US and Israel withdrawing from UNESCO is the agreement by Hamas, signed, significantly, in the headquarters of Egyptian Intelligence, to turn over the control of Gaza to the PA and Abbas who has been responsible for the months long denial of electricity to the people of Gaza. Abbas' signing of the Oslo accords under the direction of Arafat was a second Nakba. Hamas' surrender to the collaborators of the PA is the third. Why the silence from EI and from the Palestinian-American community?

Thanks Jeff, regular readers

Permalink Ali Abunimah replied on Mon, 10/16/2017 - 20:47

Thanks Jeff, regular readers will know that The Electronic Intifada has been far from silent and has reported very extensively on these matter, as you could see by browsing the tag on Mahmoud Abbas. Our coverage includes, for instance, an article I wrote, headlined, “Why is Mahmoud Abbas letting children die in Gaza?”

Thanks for the link re Abbas

Permalink Jeff Blankfort replied on Mon, 10/16/2017 - 21:29

Thanks for providing this link to your critique of Abbas. I missed it at the time and was responding, in part, to the article on the EI site about the PA-Hamas deal which ignored the larger. more important issues and to the general silence of the US Palestine community over the years regarding Abbas' betrayal.

real news

Permalink John Costello replied on Sun, 10/15/2017 - 21:31

Here is a link to a report on the real nature of the 2112 funding cut; don't be fooled by fake news.
http://www.loonwatch.com/2012/...

Trump

Permalink TimHadfield replied on Mon, 10/16/2017 - 00:41

Trump looks like a beaten dog, while Netenyahu looks triumphant (in the above clip).
Easy to see who is the boss here.

Hamas/Fatah

Permalink Kay Osatenko replied on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 03:19

Imagine a world without Israel. Imagine a world without the USA. We might actually have a chance to survive even without divine intervention. Good for you, Ali. I agree--good riddance. Imagine the gnashing of teeth when the UN gets along very well without them.

Samson Option

Permalink mothman777 replied on Thu, 10/19/2017 - 12:50

The UN should have removed all legal recognition of Israel as a State when the Israeli Samson Option threat of nuclear destruction of the entire world was made public by Martin Van Creveld, Golda Meir, and several other prominent Israelis.

this is a perfect world - not!

Permalink John Costello replied on Sat, 10/21/2017 - 22:22

I would remind my Lepidopteral bro/sis that the US still makes up about a fifth and controlling share of the global economy and when it comes to "The Sampson Option"; Uncle Sam is still way out in front on that issue and his petulant nephew is merely following suit.