U.S., Israel lose voting rights at UNESCO over Palestine row

PARIS (Reuters) - UNESCO has suspended the voting rights of the United States and Israel, two years after both countries stopped paying dues to the U.N.'s cultural arm in protest over its granting full membership to the Palestinians.

The U.S. decision to cancel its funding in October 2011 was blamed on U.S. laws that prohibit funding to any U.N. agency that implies recognition of the Palestinians' demands for their own state.