After international pressure from the U.S., UN, and Europe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted Nov. 28 that Israel would soon unfreeze hundreds of millions of dollars in withheld tax funds owed to Palestinians. Israel collected the money on behalf of Palestine under previous peace deals, but refused to turn over the money to Palestine when Palestine petitioned the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization for recognition of statehood against Israel’s wishes. In the face of the missing funds, Palestine has been forced to borrow from banks in order to keep their government functioning.
Palestine applied for UNESCO membership in September 2011 and was accepted for membership Oct. 31. However, its application for recognition of statehood in the UN has since stalled in the face of Security Council deadlock Security Council, which must approve full membership. #
