Palestinians take step towards full UNESCO membership

Palestinians moved a step closer to full membership in the U.N. cultural agency on Wednesday after its board decided to let 193 member states vote on the issue later this month, the latest stage in a Palestinian campaign for statehood recognition.

“In September Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally applied to the U.N. Security Council for full membership in the United Nations, ignoring a U.S. threat to veto the measure, as well as threats from members of the U.S. Congress to restrict American aid to the Palestinians.

Forty representatives of the 58-member board voted in favor of a draft resolution, with four voting against and 14 abstaining, a source at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation told Reuters.

It will now be submitted for a vote at UNESCO's General Conference, which runs from October 25 to November 10 and involves all 193 members of the Paris-based organization.”