U.S. President Barack Obama's first call from the Oval Office was to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. When Obama took office, he aspired to become the president who would solve the Palestinian problem -- and fast. He also wanted to be the president who reconciled the U.S. with the world and its institutions after the era of George W. Bush. However, in reality, just the opposite happened. Abbas insulted Obama and ignored his pleas. Obama on Monday became the president who cut off U.S. financial aid to UNESCO. One year before the next presidential election, Obama is still learning the hard way. The Palestinian delegation celebrated at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Palestine was effectively recognized as a state, as the 195th full member of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Only in this world can Palestine be an observer state on one side of the ocean and a full member state on the other. It makes you wonder if the world is round or skewed. Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! The Palestinians took full advantage of their opportunity to join UNESCO. They didn't need more than two-thirds of the vote in Paris to win a majority. Washington had asked the Palestinians not to proceed with this initiative, in order to avoid having to enforce the law forbidding the transfer of funds to the U.N. or any of its agencies that grant full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood." The U.S. has changed since last November's mid-term elections, especially when it comes to the Palestinians. Congress is not the most welcoming place for Obama, who will not entertain the notion of trying to change the funding legislation, particularly in an election year and at a time when his approval ratings are low. Republicans and Democrats, along with U.S. media, were outraged with the Palestinians on Monday. As far as they are concerned, Abbas spurned the chance to pursue peace in the Middle East. Israel clearly cannot be pleased by this development. Palestine's entry into UNESCO as a full member paves the way for its recognition by other groups such as the World Intellectual Property Organization. Full membership into U.N. agencies is reserved for recognized states. As such, the Palestinians will obviously view their success as a boost ahead of the continued discussions about statehood at U.N. headquarters in New York. UNESCO on Monday lost one-quarter of it budget (22% , or $70 million, comes from the U.S., and a further 3% is donated by Israel). Washington won't transfer the $60 million it had intended to this month, and even if Israel has yet to make an official announcement, it is unlikely to transfer its $2 million to UNESCO. Thank God, there are other things we can do with that money.
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