UN / NEW MEMBER ADMISSION

After a meeting with Security Council President José Filipe Moraes Cabral of Portugal on Israel's alleged retaliation to Palestine's UNESCO membership, Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters that Israel's "illegal reaction" consisted of "intensification of settlement activities",  and "illegally highjacking our tax money." UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:35
• Production Date: 3 November 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL AFFAIRS; LAW; INTERNATIONAL LAW; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY; DECOLONIZATION; TRUST TERRITORIES; APARTHEID; POLITICAL CONDITIONS
• Geographic Subject: ISRAEL
• MAMS Id: U111103b

Description

STORY: UN / NEW MEMBER ADMISSION
TRT: 2.35
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

2. Med shot, Mansour walks to the stakeout position

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

3. Close up, reporters’ notepads

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“The Israeli illegal reaction took the form of two illegal provocations. The first one, intensification of settlement activities, of two-thousand units, and the other one is the illegally highjacking our tax money that they collect on our behalf and they take fees for the collection of our tax money.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

5. Close up, reporter’s laptop

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“Whatever they are ready to consider and to adopt, as a reaction from the Security Council, we would look at it, you know, with a positive attitude. The bottom line, we want the Security Council to react to this latest escalation and provocation with a view of stopping it and containing it, because you all know that if it is not contained it might lead to further escalations and provocations.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

7. Pan right, reporters’ notepads

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“We believe that by the 11th it will be about 50 days since the submission of our application and it will be nine meetings. We believe that that is a sufficient number of meetings to consider our application, and it is time for the Security Council to act on our application.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

9. Close up, reporter’s notepad

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:
“It’s very unfortunate. We are trying to become like others in joining this very important UN agency as a full member to be involved in a collective process with the rest of humanity in defending treasures of humanity, historical sites, religious sites, and being involved in an active way with cultural issues and scientific issues. That in our opinion would not be offensive to anyone nor harming anyone.”

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

11. Close up, reporter’s notepad

3 NOVEMBER 2011, NEW YORK CITY

12. Med shot, Mansour walks away from the stakeout position

Storyline

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour met today (3 November) with Security Council President José Filipe Moraes Cabral of Portugal to discuss Israel's alleged reaction to Palestine’s admission as a full member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Outside the Council, Mansour told reporters that Israel’s “illegal reaction” consisted of “intensification of settlement activities”, with two-thousand new units being built, and “illegally highjacking our tax money.”

As part of the Oslo Agreement, the Israeli Government collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Israel's decision to cut off transfers of Palestinian tax revenues would threaten the salaries of some 180,000 Palestinian Authority employees.

Mansour said he hoped for “a reaction from the Security Council” to this “latest escalation and provocation” from the Israeli Government.

Regarding Palestine’s bid for full UN membership, the Ambassador pointed out that on 11 November, when the Security Council holds it’s ninth meeting on the issue, “it will be about 50 days” since the submission of the application.

He said that this is a “sufficient number of meetings to consider our application, and it is time for the Security Council to act on our application.”

Responding to the decision by the United States to withhold its dues to UNESCO, Mansour said that “it’s very unfortunate” and that Palestine wants “to be involved in a collective process with the rest of humanity in defending treasures of humanity, historical sites, religious sites, and being involved in an active way with cultural issues and scientific issues.”

He added that this “would not be offensive to anyone nor harming anyone.”

UNESCO’s General Conference on Monday voted to admit Palestine as a full member of the Paris-based agency. The decision was supported by 107 member States, with 14 against and 52 abstentions. The United States had opposed the move.