Palestinian membership bid hangs over start of UNESCO conference

The Palestinian push for greater recognition by the United Nations hung over the start of a two-week general conference of the UN cultural agency UNESCO in Paris on Tuesday, dpa reported. After requesting UN membership from the United Nations Security Council in September, the Palestinians then asked the French-based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for admission as a full member. All UN member states automatically become members of UNESCO. Non-UN members can also become members, if they can muster the support of two-thirds of UNESCO's 193 members in a vote at the biennial general conference. The Palestinians currently have observer status. UNESCO membership would also allow Palestinian leaders to apply for sites such as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palestinian application cleared the first hurdle on October 5 when UNESCO's executive board voted in favour of membership. The issue now moves to the general conference, which is expected to hold a vote in the coming days.