TORONTO, – B’nai Brith Canada has expressed concern that UNESCO’s decision to grant the Palestinians full membership is a counterproductive move that circumvents ongoing negotiations towards a lasting peace.
“We know that the Canadian Government shares our concerns that UNESCO has strayed far from its mandate as the UN’s cultural agency in making this ill-advised decision”, said Frank Dimant, CEO, B’nai Brith Canada. “We urge Canada, which voted against this bid by the Palestinians for UNESCO membership, and which has condemned the outcome of that vote, to now move immediately to impose sanctions on this entity, including the withholding of the some $10 million it provides annually.
“Our concern is not just that UNESCO will become just one more international entity whose mandate is being subverted for political gain, but that it will move to delegitimize and undermine the deep and rich heritage of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, in a distorted view of history that the Palestinian leadership continues to promote. Meanwhile, the UNESCO vote is, in effect, a rejection of international efforts to help build a lasting peace.”
