Israel gave over $9 million annually to UNESCO

The New York Times, in its UNESCO story yesterday, revealed something interesting:

Palestine became the 195th full member of Unesco on Monday, as the United Nations organization defied a mandated cutoff of American funds under federal legislation from the 1990s.

The step will cost the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization one-quarter of its yearly budget — the 22 percent contributed by the United States (about $70 million) plus another 3 percent contributed by Israel.

That means that Israel contributed some $9 million annually to the agency!

Israel has been cooperating with UNESCO for well over a decade in various international projects, helping out in places as far flung as Jamaica.

But now that UNESCO has become a virtual subsidiary of ISESCO, I'm sure that Islamic countries will make up for the shortfall in cash and cooperation.

(h/t Yaacov Lozowick tweet)

UPDATE: A Ha'aretz reporter tweets that Israel contributes only $2 million annually. (h/t CHA)