AlQa'dah 7, 1432, Oct 5, 2011, SPA -- The executive board of the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO on Wednesday voted in favor of a Palestinian state being given UNESCO membership, sources at the agency told dpa. Forty of the 58 countries on the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization voted in favor, four voted against and 14 abstained, the sources said. A simple majority is needed for the board to recommend that a non-UN member state be given membership of the Paris-based body.