HRES624OCT19

Israel is a member of the Western and Others Group at the UN but its status in the Group has been conditional and limited. Israel has not been able to compete for open seats or to run for positions in major bodies of the UN such as the Security Council or UN-affiliated agencies, the preamble notes. Israel has not been allowed to caucus with other Western and Other Group members.

Israel has been refused admission to the Asian Group and so is denied rights and privileges of a full member of the UN.

The preamble then offers comments that indicate Israel has not been treated fairly at the UN and seems to suggest that that is the result of a poor UN record in regards to anti-Semitism.

The resolution then congratulates Israel for being appointed to chair the UN Committee on Program and Coordination .

More resolution below…

Sponsor: Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL-23^rd)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote October 16, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

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Whereas the State of Israel is the only member of the Western and Others Group in a conditional status limiting its ability to caucus with its fellow members of this regional grouping, compete for open seats, or to run for positions in major bodies of the United Nations, such as the Security Council, or United Nations-affiliated agencies, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council;

Whereas Israel is excluded from discussions and consultations of the Western and Others Group at the United Nations offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome, and Vienna;

Whereas Israel has been refused admission to the Asian Group of the United Nations, thereby being denied the rights and privileges of full membership in the United Nations;

Whereas Israel has submitted its candidacy for membership on the Security Council for 2019 and hopes to gain full participation rights in the United Nations;

Whereas, in 2004, at the first United Nations Department of Public Information Seminar on Anti-Semitism, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan acknowledged that `the United Nations' record on anti-Semitism has at times fallen short of our ideals';

Whereas, in 2005, the United Nations held an unprecedented session to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp;

Whereas at the opening of the 61st General Assembly in 2006, former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that `on one side, supporters of Israel feel that it is harshly judged by standards that are not applied to its enemies . . . and too often this is true, particularly in some UN bodies';

Whereas, in January 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution condemning any denial of the Holocaust;

Whereas, on June 19, 2007, for the first time ever since Israel joined the United Nations, an Israeli diplomat, Mr. Ron Adam, director of the Israel Foreign Ministry's United Nations Political Affairs Department, has been chosen to chair a United Nations committee, the Committee on Program and Coordination (CPC);

Whereas this 33 member body (composed of Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, the Republic of Central Africa, China, Comoros, Cuba, France, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, Portugal, Korea, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Switzerland, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, United States, and Israel) approves the work plan for all United Nations agencies and bodies;

Whereas since Israel was accepted as part of the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) in 2000, it has had the right to apply for positions on United Nations committees;

Whereas Israel has played an active role in the international community and within the United Nations;

Whereas Israel already sits on several important committees, and representatives from Israel have served as deputy chairs in the United Nations numerous times;

Whereas Israelis were first elected to notable United Nations positions in 1994, including the high administrative tribunal at the Hague, Vice Chair of the World Health Organization's Executive Committee and the Human Rights Committee, in June 2005 Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, was appointed one of the 21 new vice presidents of the General Assembly, and in July 2005, Israel was elected to deputy chairmanship of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC); and

Whereas Israel's first unique appointment to chair a United Nations committee will hopefully encourage the normalization of Israel's bilateral and multilateral relations and challenge future disproportionate United Nations condemnation of Israel: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) congratulates Mr. Ron Adam, Israel's Chair of the United Nations Committee on Program and Coordination, and the Government and people of the State of Israel on Israel's first ever appointment to chair a United Nations committee;

(2) supports continued expansion of Israel's role at the United Nations;

(3) welcomes recent attempts by the United Nations to address the issue of prevailing anti-Semitism;

(4) calls on the United Nations to officially and publicly condemn anti-Semitic statements made at all United Nations meetings and hold accountable United Nations Member States that make such statements;

(5) urges the members of WEOG to extend full and permanent membership to Israel, without conditions, until such time as Israel can serve as an effective member of the Asian States Group; and

(6) calls upon United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to work to end any unfair vilification of Israel at the United Nations and to use his good offices to support Israel's bid to join the Asian regional grouping.

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