January 1996

Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN

50th General Assembly Welcomes Rabin Special Session Later Mourns His Death

PM Rabin Murdered ten days after speech before General Assembly

"This morning I appear before you, the Heads of State of the international community, as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel and as the representative of the Jewish people. I also stand before you as a representative of those for whom the creation of the United Nations came too late. I come here today in the name of the six million whose lives were turned to ashes, whose souls ascended to heaven in burning flames, we will never let them be forgotten...

"We are grateful to the international community for your encouragement at this historic moment which is unfolding on our little plot of land: the agreement between Israel and the Palestinians... the peace treaties between Israel and Egypt, between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the significant changes in Israel's relationship with the entire Middle East...

"The road is still long. However, we are determined to continue until we have brought peace to the region. For our children and our children's children. For all the peoples of the region. That is our mission. We will fulfill it".

In his address before the UN General Assembly, on October 24, 1995, the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, spoke emotionally about the unique relationship between Israel and the United Nations, Israel's new standing in the international community, as well as on the role of the UN in helping to achieve a lasting peace for the Middle East. The road is still long. However, we are determined to continue until we have brought peace to the region. For our children and our children's children. For all the peoples of the region. That is our mission. We will fulfill it".

Mr. Rabin joined 142 other heads of state from around the world who participated in the five-day celebration commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations last October. Unbeknownst at the time, this would be Mr. Rabin's first and last appearance before the world body, as he was tragically assassinated only days after returning to Israel from his successful trip to New York.

During his trip to New York, the Prime Minister held bilateral meetings with 28 world leaders, including the President of Indonesia, King Hussein of Jordan, King Hassan of Morocco, the President of China. He also met with the Secretary-General of the UN, Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali and US Secretary of State Warren Christopher. The reception received by Mr. Rabin at the UN and by the other world leaders themselves was overwhelmingly positive. This visit was a clear expression of the changes in Israel's international standing brought about by the policies of the government of Israel and by Mr. Rabin's central role in the Middle East peace process.

Special Session of General Assembly held in Memory of the late Prime Minister On December 5, 1995 a special commemorative meeting of the UN General Assembly was held in memory of the late Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in Israel on November 4, 1995. The meeting was held on the thirtieth day following the Prime Minister's burial, which according to Jewish tradition, ends the period of mourning.

The meeting was presided over by the President of the General Assembly. Representatives from the United States, the Russian Federation, Japan, Norway and Spain eulogized the slain leader, praising his commitment to peace. Representatives from Egypt, Jordan and the PLO sent messages of support and condolence to the Rabin family and to the people of Israel.

Ambassador Gad Yaacobi, the Permanent Representative of Israel to the UN, told the Assembly that, "With Rabin's assassination, we lost a great statesman; a courageous soldier in both war and peace; a fine human being, a devoted son of Israel, the Jewish people, and mankind...The best way to honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin is to continue in his path toward peace and a brighter future for Israel and for the peoples of the Middle East.".The 50th General Assembly: Continuing Progress

Israel continued to enjoy the fruits of the peace process at the fiftieth UN General Assembly. During its fall session, the General Assembly adopted 18 resolutions pertaining to the Middle East. Of these, eight were worded as to refrain from condemning Israel, and eight more were modified from previous years. Only three resolutions were passed with a distinctive anti-Israel tone: the resolutions relating to Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Settlements.

For the third consecutive year, the General Assembly passed by an overwhelming majority a resolution in support of the Middle East peace process. The resolution, one of three under the heading of "The Situation in the Middle East", known simply as "The Middle East Peace Process" was sponsored by Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The resolution favorably recognized the progress made in the peace process during the previous twelve months, including the signing of the Interim Agreement between Israel and the PLO, on September 28, 1995 in Washington, as well as the Amman Economic Summit, held in Jordan in October 1995. One hundred and forty-eight Member States voted in favor of the resolution, and as they did during the 49th General Assembly, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Libya all voted against the resolution. Sudan was the only country to abstain from voting on this issue.

Further progress was noted on several other issues as well. For the first time, a majority of Member States did not vote in support of the resolutions, "The Risk of Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East", "The Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Territories," and "The Situation in the Middle East: the Golan Heights."

In the three years since the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO on September 13, 1993, Israel has benefitted from an improved standing in the international community. This new-found acceptance has translated into a more positive atmosphere at the United Nations as well. In 1992, the UN passed 29 resolutions dealing with the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Since then, seven of them have been either eliminated or combined, and, more significantly, the wording of four other Middle East-related resolutions was edited to such an extent that Israel voted in their favor.

Israel's goal is the complete elimination of out-dated and anachronistic Middle East resolutions drafted under the Cold War atmosphere when the Arab-Israeli conflict was at its peak. Judging from the progress achieved at the 50th General Assembly, this goal is certainly within our reach.

Israel Declines to Co-Sponsor Resolution Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the End of the WW II for its Failure to Mention the Holocaust

On October 18, 1995, the General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The resolution, which was proposed by the Russian Federation, referred to genocide and death camps, but did not contain the word "Holocaust". Israel chose not to co-sponsor this resolution because of this omission, but did not break with the consensus.

During the debate on this issue in the General Assembly, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gad Yaacobi, stated that:

"For the State of Israel, the Second World War cannot be remembered without remembering the Holocaust the systematic annihilation of six million Jewish people- 1.5 million of them children, by the Nazis...

"It is upon us all to remember the lessons of the Second World War and the Holocaust: the price of powerlessness and the evils of hatred and racism. Today, as we mark the victory of good over evil, of democracy over dictatorship, the specter of radicalism, racism and hatred still loom over us all...

"The Jewish people can never forget the enormity of the Holocaust. The State of Israel, as the Jewish National Home, has a special obligation to remember. An obligation to the memory of the six million who perished in the European graveyard. And an obligation to the survivors who have rebuilt their lives in Israel and elsewhere..."

UN Devotes Less Time to Middle East, Testament to Success of Peace Process

During the 50th General Assembly, the number of resolutions relating to the Middle East and to the Arab-Israeli conflict decreased from previous years. There were 43 interventions by Israeli representatives in the plenary and the various committees, including 14 in the General Assembly.

The following are excerpts from addresses in the General Assembly by Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gad Yaacobi, on issues relating to the Middle East:

"Situation in the Middle East"

"The international community should give expression and voice its support for the changes in the Middle East...

"The path before us is difficult, but our destination is clear: Peace and security, cooperation and prosperity... The international community must help ensure that this is the future of the Middle East...

"Prior experience has taught us that agreements between leaders are not enough, and that peace means more than just the absence of war. We have always believed that a peaceful environment will enable all countries in the region to divert their human energies and economic resources away from conflict and toward better education, health, human progress, science, technology and economic development..."

"Question of Palestine"

"We hope to initiate a new era in the Middle East- an era characterized by cooperation and peaceful co-existence... An era based on dignity and mutual respect; where peace is not some abstract concept, but a daily reality...

"Fanatical terrorist groups still seek to harm our progress. They kill innocent men, women and children. Radicals threaten their compatriots who are working toward the betterment of their people and for the betterment of generations yet unborn. We will not allow these extremists to succeed. To paraphrase Israel's founding father and first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion: We must fight terror as if there was no peace and work toward peace as if there was no terror...

"We are greatly encouraged by the success of the Palestinian Authority in combatting terrorism in the Gaza Strip. We are confident that the Authority will continue this fight throughout the West Bank as well...

"Israel remains committed to continue the peace process. We see no other way to serve the people of Israel, the region as a whole, the Palestinians, and our future generations..."

Peres, in Address to GA, Calls on Syria, Lebanon to Join Peace Process

Former Foreign Minister, now Prime Minister, Shimon Peres opened the 50th session of the General Assembly in October by inviting Syria and Lebanon to join the Middle East peace process. In his address to the General Assembly on October 2, 1995, Foreign Minister Peres said:

"I would like to use this occasion to turn to the Syrians and to turn to the Lebanese to ask that they stop hesitating, stop wondering...The President of Syria said that from experience he has learned that only through military negotiations and making security the major agenda one can achieve peace. Experience has shown that through negotiation on all levels, embracing all issues, without timidity, without fatigue, we can achieve peace..."

Mr. Peres was in New York immediately following the signing of the Interim Agreement with the palestinians in Washington DC on September 28. While in New York, the Foreign Minister held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from many countries, including Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Tunisia, and Djibouti. During Foreign Minister Peres' meeting with Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi of Oman, Israel and Oman agreed to the opening of trade representations in each other's country and to support mutual cooperation in technical and economic fields through the appointment of such representatives in each country.

Israel Notes Improved Relations with UN Agencies

The 50th General Assembly witnessed further improvements in Israel's relations with the UN agencies operating in the territories, specifically the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

In a meeting with Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gad Yaacobi, UNDP Administrator Gustave Speth noted with satisfaction the improvement in Israel's relations with the agency since the establishment of a working group in February 1995. Ambassador Yaacobi feels that UNDP has an important role in enhancing economic cooperation between Israel and its neighbors by financing multi-lateral development projects. Such projects will help advance the peace process by strengthening the relationships between the parties themselves.

Ambassador Yaacobi also noted a significant improvement in Israel-UNRWA relations during the last three years as a result of the peace process and a general improvement in conditions in the territories.

During 1995, UNRWA provided some $200 million in aid to the Palestinians, while UNDP invested $33 million in the territories.

Barak Pays First Official Visit to UN, Briefs Secretary General on Peace Process

On January 25, 1996, Israel's newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ehud Barak, paid his first official visit to the United Nations. During his visit, Barak met with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Secretary-General's office. After a short briefing on recent developments in the Middle East peace process, Barak voiced his satisfaction at the changes in Israel's position at the UN. He told the Secretary-General of Israel's desire to enhance its cooperation with the world body through greater participation in UN programs, agencies, and official bodies. The Foreign Minister voiced concern that Israel remains the only member state denied participation in a geo-political group. This omission, he added, prevents Israel from assuming its rightful status at the UN. Barak then thanked the Secretary-General for his on-going efforts to locate Israeli soldiers who are missing in action,and encouraged him to continue.