Troubled Unesco begins picking new leader

The board of the UN's cultural body yesterday began vetting eight candidates vying to head an organisation accused of bias in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and foot-dragging on reforms.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization infuriated Israel and its staunch ally the United States by granting full membership to Palestine in 2011.

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Both countries suspended their funding to the agency -- best-known for its prestigious World Heritage List -- over the move.

Most recently, the Paris-based body delighted Palestinians when it declared the Old City of Hebron in the occupied West Bank an endangered World Heritage site.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the vote "another delusional decision" by Unesco, which promotes quality education and cultural development around the world.