September 2002

Introduction

On 12 September 2002, the General Debate of the 57th Session of the UN General Assembly will convene.

The year 2002 has been declared the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the World Heritage Convention.

In addition to its deliberations on the various agenda items before it, the General Assembly is expected to continue to deal with issues directly related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, particularly the Palestinian aspects of it.

It is clear that this year as well, the Arab effort to delegitimize Israel will continue in the UN General Assembly - a forum which the Arab countries consider their 'home court' in the ongoing anti-Israel political campaign. The current situation provides fertile ground for intensified Palestinian and Arab efforts to impose an 'internationalised' solution to the conflict.

However, since the events of 11 September 2001, and in the wake of the Durban Conference, various sectors have indicated a growing sense of 'fatigue' over the intensive and obsessive treatment of the Middle East in the various UN forums. This process of reappraisal should be encouraged.

In the framework of Israel's preparations for the 57th Session of the UN General Assembly, we would like to present our position on the issues that concern us most.

The UN and the Middle East Conflict

The modern State of Israel was established in 1948, following the UN General Assembly Resolution 181 of 1947, which recognized the Jewish people's right to return to the land of their forefathers. Unfortunately, the Arab States rejected the UN Resolution and declared war on the nascent State of Israel. Their goal was to undermine the UN resolution and to prevent the establishment of the State of Israel. Although this attempt failed, it marked the beginning of waves of hostility that have unfortunately continued until this day.

However, two peace agreements have been concluded between Israel and its neighbours, one with Egypt and one with Jordan. Both countries abandoned the path of confrontation for the path of conciliation and direct dialogue. A decade ago, after the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, it appeared that another wave of hostility was coming to an end. Yet, in September 2000, this hope faded as the Palestinians chose to return to the path of violence, abandoning the principles of dialogue. They exchanged political negotiation for terrorism against Israeli citizens, which since then has only increased, and to date has exacted the lives of more than 600 Israeli men, women and children.

For many years, even at the height of the peace process, the Palestinians have continued their struggle against Israel in the UN arena. The efficacy of their tactics is demonstrated in the intensive activity of UN bodies, and in particular the General Assembly and the Security Council which have passed biased resolutions totally divorced from reality.

In recent months, this phenomenon has been on the rise, with Palestinian initiatives being discussed in various UN forums such as the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Commission, the Conference of Signatories, and the WHO. In all of these cases, the use of vitriolic, provocative language has introduced their violence into the halls of the United Nations. These Arab tactics notwithstanding, many countries are showing signs of impatience with the UN's exaggerated preoccupation with the problems of the Middle East, which often comes at the expense of other subjects that are of equal international importance. This shift in perception is due to a number of causes:

1. The Campaign Against Terrorism: In the wake of the September 2001 attacks and the subsequent global war on terror, the use of terrorism has lost its justification in the eyes of the nations.

2. The Durban Conference: Many countries, especially in the developing world, feel that the recent Durban Conference on Racism was "hijacked" by the Arabs, sidetracked from its intended purpose and turned into a platform for propaganda against Israel.

3. The Palestinian Crisis of Leadership: The international community is starting to have doubts about the Palestinian leadership and the direction in which it is leading its people.

4. The Role of the UN Secretary General in the Quartet: It is apparent that the United Nations is aware of the conflict between the UN acting as a "tribunal" for judging Israel, while at the same time being an pursing an active role in the international "Quartet", working to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation (the drafting style of the recent report by the Secretary General on Jenin, is perhaps indicative of this trend).

The Israeli-Palestinian Issue in the UN General Assembly

Recently, Israeli has taken certain initiatives with regard to the Palestinian population, with the aim of calming the situation on the ground, thereby enabling a quicker return to the path of dialogue. In order to facilitate this process, Israel would ask UN member States to adopt the following stance:

1. Refrain from cooperating with unilateral Palestinian initiatives whose purpose is to isolate Israel or to force upon it an agreement by means other than direct negotiations. An example is the unsuccessful Palestinian attempt to invalidate the accreditation of the Israeli delegation to the UN World Summit on Children.

2. Withholding support for resolutions that are inconsistent with the principles of direct dialogue and mutual compromise. Each year, the General Assembly adopts 19 resolutions characterized by lack of balance, ignoring the principles of negotiation and mutual compromise.

3. Insistence upon adding to every resolution a clear condemnation of Palestinian terrorism and terrorist organizations, particularly the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. In this connection, and in the interest of efficiency, Israel is in favour of combining resolutions relating to the Middle East wherever possible. In previous years, the Assembly has adopted an inflated number of resolutions on the same subject, a wasteful, time-consuming course which results in a devaluation of the General Assembly's work. It is not reasonable, when the UN has so many important subjects on its agenda - the fight against poverty and ignorance, for example - that the General Assembly and the UN committees should waste time discussing 19 versions of the same topic.

4. As part of the UN's efforts to increase efficiency, and in order to achieve a more balanced treatment of the Israel-Palestinian issue, the following bodies should be eliminated:
   1. the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories

   2. The Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People

   3. The Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat, and the Special information Programme on the Question of Palestine All of these bodies have one thing in common: they all have a one-sided mandate to express and promote the political positions of one of the sides in the conflict. This directly contradicts the principle of impartiality to which the UN is committed.

The General Assembly Agenda

Israel's positions on the items which appear on the UN agenda are as follows:

1) Counter-terrorism

Israel, which has fought against terrorism since its inception - and never more vigorously than in the last few months - is well aware of its dangers and transnational ramifications, and appreciates the international efforts to contain it. Israel supports the international counter-terrorism initiatives led by the United States.

The sessions of the General Assembly provide a worthy opportunity for the international community to join together in the uncompromising battle against terror and the supporters of terror. Israel is participating in the work of the special committee (CTC) set up by the Security Council, in the framework of Resolution 1373, and believes that other countries should cooperate with the Committee and fully implement the provisions of Resolution 1373, taking responsibility first and foremost for that which occurs within their own territory.

Israel hopes that the ideas presented at the 56th Session of the General Assembly will be further developed and promoted during the current session, and that the international community will reject any attempt to justify terrorism. Terrorism must be condemned unequivocally, irrespective of its "motives". At the same time, the roots of terrorism - financing, sponsorship and protection, incitement, education to violence and hatred, economic distress - must be recognized and addressed.

2) First Committee

Disarmament: Israel supports and shares the international efforts to promote disarmament and international security. Israel, however, cannot ignore the complex reality in the Middle East, where certain states are increasing their efforts to acquire WMD capabilities. At the same time, some of these states are acting in violation of their international commitments in the fields of arms control and disarmament. It is therefore essential to focus our efforts on preventing the proliferation of WMD and ballistic missiles, and to widen the circle of responsible states acting in concert to advance this goals.

WMD Terrorism: The September 11 attacks on the US, the war against al-Qaeda and the revelations in its wake have increased fears that terrorists will acquire WMD and missile capabilities. The phenomenon of second-tier proliferation in recent years facilitates this scenario.

Terrorists require support, assistance, or at least the shelter of states in order to promote their goals. Most states that support terrorism are also developing WMD and ballistic missiles - and, as such, serve as "role models" for terrorists. Even states which oppose terrorism but are involved in proliferation activities are liable to serve as sources of know-how, material and/or capabilities for terrorists.

Israel calls upon the international community to use the UNGA-First Committee resolutions to formulate a clear norm against this phenomenon. The resolutions should condemn support of terrorism and involvement in proliferation activities, demand restriction of the sale of dual-use items to states involved in terrorism and proliferation, call for increased efforts to secure material relevant to the development of WMD, and encourage alternative employment programs for WMD scientists.

3) Second Committee

Israel supports UN initiatives relating to the war on poverty, food security and sustainable conservation of the planet, for the sake of future generations. Israel calls upon UN member States to join the fight against desertification, which is the new frontier of sustainable development. Israel has vast experience in this field and is working in conjunction with a number of countries, through MASHAV (the Center for International Cooperation of the Israel Foreign Ministry) and other channels. Israel calls upon the UN to participate in a joint effort to advance these initiatives on the regional level.

4) Third Committee

a) Israel supports the ongoing fight against all forms of racism, including antisemitism, and discrimination against minorities. The striving for peace and stability must be based on respect for human rights, including women's rights, the rights of children, the rights of challenged individuals, and others. Israel, as a Jewish, democratic society, attaches great importance and expends much effort in these areas, believing strongly that the values of equality and human dignity should form the guiding principle of the international community's agenda.

b) The scourge of drugs and crime has spread throughout the globe and the fight against it constitutes an element of the fight against terrorism and the struggle to uphold the right of each individual to live a secure, dignified existence.

5) Fourth Committee

For the sake of increased efficiency, Israel recommends consolidating many of the proposals relating to the Middle East (such as all those concerning UNRWA) into a reduced number of draft resolutions.

6) Sixth Committee

Reproductive cloning: Israel will take part in the discussions of a Sixth Committee working group to formulate an international convention, following a French-German initiative, against the reproductive cloning of human beings. Contrary to the position of many States (including Israel) that support the initiative, there are a number of influential members - among them the United States, the Vatican, Spain and Costa Rico - that would like to extend the prohibition to also include the therapeutic cloning of human beings.

International Criminal Court (ICC): The Government of Israel, on 30 June 2002, decided not to ratify the Rome Statute establishing an international criminal court. Following this decision, the Israeli Charge d'Affaires informed the UN Secretary General, on 13 August, that Israel does not intend to ratify the Rome Statute. The reason behind this decision was Israel's fear that certain bodies would misuse the new international court to advance their own political agenda against the State and the people of Israel.

Draft Convention on Terrorism: Israel's position of principle this issue is outlined above.

7) Coordination with Other Delegations

Israel places great importance on dialogue and on coordinating efforts with UN member States. Accordingly, Israel is interested in opening a dialogue with all the member States of the UN on the eve of the 57th General Assembly session and throughout the proceedings, for the purpose of coordinating approaches and initiatives on a variety of topics.