Palestine's UNESCO Membership 'Milestone'

Sinn Fein has called the announcement that Palestine's would take membership of UNESCO a 'milestone towards freedom for the Palestinian people'.

Sinn Fein spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, described the vote to accept Palestine as a full member at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), as "truly wonderful news".

The organisation voted by a margin of 107 nations for to 14 against with 52 abstentions.

The announcement has however caused fury in Israel with the country's foreign minister saying it would consider cutting all ties with the Palestinian Authority in response to the decision on Monday.

"My recommendations will be very clear," Avigdor Lieberman told his Yisrael Beiteinu parliamentary faction.

"We need to weigh cutting all ties with the Palestinian Authority. I'm not prepared for Israel to become the ultimate sucker in the Middle East. We cannot continue to accept unilateral measures time after time."

However, Deputy Mac Lochlainn welcomed the Irish Government's support for the application.

He said: "This is truly wonderful news for the beleaguered Palestinian people. It is a clear signal that the international community supports their struggle for justice and freedom and their right to statehood. It is a milestone to freedom for the Palestinian people.

"The 'Arab Spring' is an opportunity for the US and European Union to build new relationships of trust in this region that has been blighted by conflict and failed by the international community. The US and the EU must now step up to their responsibilities to confront illegal Israeli settlements and broker a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine," he said.

(DW/BMcC)