UN condemns Israel for cartoon about bombing of Iran

UNESCO reprimanded Israel over a newspaper cartoon showing the Israeli prime minister telling pilots to bomb the UN agency's office after bombing Iran.The UN's Paris-based cultural arm called in Israel's ambassador, Nimrod Barkan, on Wednesday and handed him a protest note saying the cartoon "endangers the lives of unarmed diplomats". The note came from the organization's director-general, Irina Bokova. The cartoon was published last week in the Zionist daily Haaretz. It depicts Zionist regime's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister briefing pilots before a hypothetical attack on Iran, telling them to target UNESCO's office in the West Bank on their way back. The cartoon was a response to the UN culture agency's recent recognition of the Palestinians as a member state. The recognition led US, Canada and Israel to cut off funding to the agency. A Zionist regime Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Israeli ambassador responded by telling UNESCO his country has a free press, justifying the regime's insult to Iran and the world body. "We've heard of Islamists raging against supposedly disrespectful cartoons, but UN officials going down the same road - that's a whole new ballgame," the spokesman said, mocking the member nations of the world body. On Thursday, UNESCO said it would not undertake new projects this year as it decides how to respond to the funding cutoffs following the move to recognize the Palestinians last month. The U.S. typically provides one-fifth of the agency's annual budget - some $80 million, three-quarters of which has not yet been handed over and which will now remain unpaid.UNESCO protects heritage sites and works to improve literacy, access to schooling for girls and cultural understanding.