Palestinians get Unesco seat as 107 vote in favour

Great news as reported by the BBC:
Article referenced on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15518173.


The UN cultural organisation has voted strongly in favour of membership for the Palestinians - a move opposed by Israel and the United States.

Of 173 countries voting, 107 were in favour, 14 opposed and 52 abstained.

Under US law, Washington can now withdraw funding to Unesco. This would deprive the agency of some $70m (£43.7m) - more than 20% of its budget.

The UN Security Council will vote next month on whether to grant the Palestinians full UN membership.

Membership of Unesco - perhaps best known for its World Heritage Sites - may seem a strange step towards statehood, says the BBC's Jon Donnison, in Ramallah, but Palestinian leaders see it as part of a broader push to get international recognition and put pressure on Israel.

This is the first UN agency the Palestinians have sought to join since submitting their bid for recognition to the Security Council in September.

"This vote will erase a tiny part of the injustice done to the Palestinian people," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki told the Unesco meeting in Paris, after the result was announced.

Widespread applause greeted the result of Monday's vote in the chamber, where a two-thirds majority is enough to pass the decision and no country has the right of veto.

The BBC's David Chazan in Paris says Arab states were instrumental in getting the vote passed despite intense opposition from the US. He says that in an emotional session, China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa voted in favour of Palestinian membership, while the US, Canada and Germany voted against and the UK abstained.
'No shortcuts'
The outcome was swiftly denounced by the US and Israel.

US ambassador to Unesco David Killion called the move "premature" and "counterproductive", and said it could affect relations.

"We recognise that this action today will complicate our ability to support Unesco's programmes," he told journalists.

"The only path to the Palestinian state that we all seek is through direct negotiations. There are no shortcuts."

A US law passed in the 1990s allows Washington to cut funding to any UN body that admits Palestine as a full member.

The US currently funds more than 20% of Unesco's entire budget.

An Israeli foreign ministry statement called the vote a "unilateral Palestinian manoeuvre which will bring no change on the ground but further removes the possibility for a peace agreement".

"The Palestinian move at Unesco, as with similar such steps with other UN bodies, is tantamount to a rejection of the international community's efforts to advance the peace process," it said.

The statement added that Israel would be considering further steps regarding its co-operation with Unesco.

Correspondents say Monday's vote is a symbolic breakthrough but that on its own it will not create a Palestinian state.

A vote is expected in November at the UN Security Council on granting full membership of the UN to the Palestinians. The US has said it will exercise its veto.

Gadhafi's Inevitable Fate

Another Arab dictator bites the dust... Of course some say Gadhafi had a choice between "walking away" with Billions or "dying"... Did he really? I tend to think not. He chose the latter not because he was an irrational idiot (although he appeared to be one at times), nor because of a supreme belief in a cause (there was none); and certainly not because of any suicidal wish (for himself and members of his family).

Rather, it seems to have been a rational decision because deep down he knew that the day he would step out of power- no matter how much money he had- would be the day his 42 years' worth of atrocities would catch up with him. His rational choice simply tried to postpone the inevitable to the last minute ... his dying words reportedly were "Don't shoot" ... They did shoot to kill as he had done to thousands before him.

His inevitable fate had finally caught up with him.

For more info on Gadhafi's death, access this report: http://news.yahoo.com/gadhafi-libyas-leader-42-years-killed-143212662.html

Open Letter Against Bigotry in Virginia

While I may not be a resident of the 87th Virginia district, I am writing this letter because of the indignation I feel towards the treatment that Virginia delegate candidate David Ramadan has been receiving from some of his political opponents in that district. As a fellow Virginian concerned about the overall wellbeing of this great Commonwealth, I have been utterly shocked by the bigotry being hurled at David- some of it by members of his own party- targeting his background and his religious beliefs.

So let’s get straight into it. Is David a Lebanese American? Yes, he was born in Lebanon, and has been a naturalized American for almost two decades. Is he of the Muslim faith? Yes, he is a Muslim, but in all of the 30 years I have known him, he has never shown religious extremism nor zeal. Does he have a hidden Islamic Shari’a Law agenda? Of course not; had he any particular religious design on the Commonwealth, one would think he would start closer to home. And yet he is happily married to Christie, who continues to practice her Christian beliefs a decade into their marriage. And the list of ridiculously bigoted suggestions goes on …

As a fellow American and Virginian from a Lebanese background, I am the first to admit that I am not in agreement with many of David’s deeply conservative political ideas. As a result, I respectfully declined to participate in his campaign notwithstanding our close friendship. But in this, I made a cognizant political choice not one based on the candidate’s origin nor his faith- both of which we actually share. And yet while we may be politically polar opposites, I have no doubt whatsoever of his love and loyalty to this country. What qualifies me to say this? Aside from knowing him for almost three decades, I was literally there at the airport to pick him up in 1989 upon his first arrival to this country. Proud and happy, he looked forward to a new beginning in the land of opportunity. In the ensuing years, he would prove it. David worked hard in business while finishing his education. He proved to be a family man, helping bring his brothers to share his American dream. He even found time to get involved in extra-curricular political campaigns and would become a dedicated republican and supporter of a conservative agenda, organizing several events. A memorable occasion was one in which he helped bring to light the ordeal of kidnapped Americans released in his native Lebanon. David eventually gave back to the community, lecturing at his alma mater, George Mason University, providing students different points of view on politics and the conflict in the Middle East. Throughout, his support for the US was unwavering- even when it put him squarely at odds with many others in the Arab American community- me included.

As diverging as our politics may be, in all fairness, neither I nor any fellow Virginian should oppose David’s campaign for some bigoted charges about his background and certainly not his religious affiliation. Anyone who does so implicitly threatens our constitution much more than what is being falsely alleged David’s candidacy does. I am reminded by Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom, written by one of its greatest sons, Thomas Jefferson:

"... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

 

If some may disagree with David Ramadan, then let it be over his politics not where he comes from or his religious beliefs. It is not the Virginian or American way; and I must say David Ramadan has earned both of these colors as much as the next guy.

An Interesting Viewpoint of Syrians Toward Steve Jobs

As the Syrian crackdown continues and reaches almost 3000 victims, the death of Apple's Steve Jobs, whose biological father is a Syrian from Homs, caused a stir and an interesting reaction. Here's a Reuters article:


http://news.yahoo.com/arabs-embrace-steve-jobs-syrian-connection-125707077.html