The Palestinian flag will be hoisted Tuesday at UNESCO headquarters, over a month after its admission to the UN cultural agency sparked anger from the United States and Israel.
President Mahmud Abbas will travel to Paris to attend the event, which led Washington to pull funding to the UN organization, and which is seen by many as a step on the Palestinians' road to eventual UN membership.
"President Abbas wants to show the importance he attaches to UNESCO," said a Palestinian diplomat. "And this is the first time that the flag will be flown at the headquarters of a UN institution."
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says the flag-hoisting is a symbolic ceremony "to mark Palestine's admission to the organization" that takes place each time a new member joins.
The Palestinians were admitted to the body in late October, when the UNESCO general assembly voted 107-14 to make Palestine its 195th member. The result angered the United States which immediately suspended its funding to the UN body.
source : http://abna.ir
