Setting Goals for the 50th General Assembly

The profound changes in the Middle East since the Madrid Conference and the signing of the Declaration of Principles (DOP) between Israel and the PLO in September 1993 have led to significant results at the United Nations as well. The number of General Assembly Resolutions hostile to Israel has decreased and the language of the resolutions has moderated. Israel is currently witnessing an improvement in the UN's treatment of issues relating to the Middle East and a greater level of cooperation with the UN in general, but much remains to be done.

During the fiftieth General Assembly the Mission of Israel will continue to encourage the positive trends of previous years. We will work to ensure that the GA will again adopt the resolution entitled "Middle East Peace Process" in support of the peace and the agreements achieved within the framework of the process. We will support the adoption by consensus of the resolution regarding assistance to the Palestinian People.

During its last session, the GA continued to adopt resolutions which attempt to prejudice the outcome of the negotiations on the permanent status arrangements between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as the bilateral negotiations between Israel and her neighbors. These resolutions violate the principle of direct negotiations without preconditions between the parties concerned. They are contrary to the DOP which has put off issues relating to the permanent status to a later stage of the negotiations. Our position is that the GA must defer such resolutions until the negotiations have been completed. The Palestinian bodies within the UN- the "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People", the "Division for Palestinian Rights" and the "Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices in the Territories"- consistently adopt distorted and one-sided positions regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead of advancing dialogue and understanding, they cause a polarization of positions. We hope the GA does not renew the mandate of these bodies in its upcoming session.

Israel's non-membership in a geo-political group is a violation of the UN's principle of universality and sovereign equality of all its members. By virtue of her geographic position, Israel should be a member of the Asian Group. However, regional political realities prevent Israel from assuming its natural place. Until Israel is able to gain entry into the Asian Group, it is seeking temporary membership in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG), which is comprised of Western-style parliamentary democracies from three continents. Since democracy is the unifying characteristic of the members of WEOG, Israel, as the only democracy in the Middle East, is certainly a prime candidate for membership. Israel hopes that progress will be reached on this issue during the upcoming GA.

The peace process has led to historical achievements in the Middle East. However, in order for the peace process to continue to attain results, it must be nourished and encouraged. The UN General Assembly can contribute to this process if it adopts resolutions that reflect the new realities in the Middle East. By doing so, the GA will contribute not only to the cause of peace in the Middle East, but to improving its image, in this year, the 50th anniversary of its founding.

Rabin and Peres To Participate in General Assembly

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin will take part in the Special Session of the General Assembly in October commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. The Prime Minister will appear before leaders from nearly 40 nations who will be participating in the special session. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will address the opening of the General Assembly at the end of September.

Both Rabin and Peres will meet with several of their counterparts during the course of their visits to the UN.

Peres Updates UN Ambassadors on Middle East Peace Talks

"We are determined to win peace, even at the cost of losing elections," Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told a gathering of over 100 UN Ambassadors and senior UN officials at the United Nations headquarters on May 30.

"We shall see the fruits of the peace in ten or fifteen years, but we have to pay the price of the peace right away. The distance between the price and the fruits is the greatest political problem we are facing, and we have to address it," he continued.

The briefing was the first of its kind for Israel at the UN. Previously, Peres had met behind closed doors with members of the Security Council. Also attending the meeting, which was held at the United Nations in February, were the ambassadors of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and the observer for the PLO.

In the meetings, Peres discussed recent developments in the negotiations with the Palestinians and Syria. With regard to the latter, he said talks must address four issues: borders, security arrangements, the nature of peace, and the timetable for implementation.

Peres stressed the importance of peace with Syria and Lebanon, saying, "We have had five conflicts. With Egypt we have peace. With Jordan we have peace. With the Palestinians we are negotiating. If we extinguish the last two fires it may bring the message of peace to all parties concerned. But if the two flames remain burning, it may ignite a larger fire to the Middle East."

United Nations Condemns Terrorism Against Israel

The United Nations issued swift condemnations of terrorist attacks committed against Israel by Islamic fundamentalists in 1995.

UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali condemned as an "abhorrent act of terrorism" a January 22 suicide bombing at the Beit Lid bus stop near Netanya. In the attack, two Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Islamic Jihad detonated explosive devices several minutes apart at the crowded bus stop. The second explosion was timed to strike rescuers assisting the victims of the first. The attack claimed 21 lives.

In a statement to the press, President of the Security Council for the month of January, Argentinean Ambassador to the UN Dr. Emilio Cardenas said that the members of the Security Council "strongly condemn" the attack and extend condolences to the families of the victims.

The United Nations also condemned two car bomb attacks on Israeli vehicles in the Gaza Strip on April 9, in which seven Israelis and an American woman were killed. A statement issued the following day by the spokesperson for Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali read, " The Secretary- General was deeply shocked by the two attacks on Israeli buses in the Gaza Strip yesterday, in which several people were killed and dozens wounded, many of them civilians. He strongly condemns these acts, as well as other acts of violence, which can only serve to undermine the confidence required to sustain the peace process."

The Secretary-General's statement marks the first time the United Nations has condemned attacks on Israelis in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

Prior to the bus bombings in Afula and Hadera in April 1994, UN condemnation of terrorist attacks against Israel was rare. The Afula and Hadera attacks were the first to meet with condemnation on the part of the Security Council, Secretary-General or General Assembly President. All subsequent major terrorist attacks, including the August 1994 bombing of the Jewish center in Argentina and the Israeli Embassy in London, as well as the bombing of Israeli buses in October 1994 in Tel Aviv, in July 1995 in Ramat Gan, and in August 1994 in Jerusalem which claimed 33 lives have been condemned by the United Nations.

Following the attacks, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gad Yaacobi sent letters to the Secretary-General in which he called on the international community to "cooperate in combatting the terrorist threat posed by groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and their supporters and sponsors." The letters were circulated as official documents of the United Nations.

NPT Conference Rejects Attempts to Single out Israel

An international conference to halt the spread of nuclear weapons rejected Arab attempts to single out Israel in its resolutions.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review and Extension Conference renewed the 25- year-old treaty for an indefinite term. Convening at the United Nations from April 17 to May 12, signatories to the NPT adopted by consensus the decision on indefinite extension. Although not unconditional, the decision represents the achievement of a central goal of the United States and other nuclear powers.

Israel welcomed the consensus and expressed satisfaction that conference resolutions did not single it out, despite pressure from several countries to do so.

In the months prior to the conference, Egypt and other Arab states launched a campaign to single out Israel for criticism regarding adherence to the NPT. Their efforts were opposed by a number of countries, including the United States.

Following the adoption of the resolutions, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gad Yaacobi, expressed appreciation for the close cooperation with the United States mission and with other missions to the UN. He said Israel was pleased that the United States succeeded in garnering unanimous support for the Conference's resolutions.

Ms. Judith Karp Elected to the Committee on the Rights of the Child

Ms. Judith Karp, Deputy Attorney General in the Ministry of Justice since 1978, was elected on February 21 to serve on the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Ms. Karp won the support of 77 states and was elected in the second round of voting. Twenty-six candidates competed for five open seats on the Committee. No candidates were elected in the first round. Candidates from Burkina Faso and Sweden were also elected in the second round.

After the vote, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gad Yaacobi praised Ms. Karp's election and said that it is "further evidence of the new positive atmosphere at the United Nations. Israel has much to contribute for the benefit of the international community, and we want to continue increasing our involvement in UN activities and integrating Israelis into bodies like the CRC," he said.

The CRC was established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child to monitor the Convention's implementation. The Convention has been signed by 165 states, including Israel, which ratified it on 3 October 1991. The Committee considers reports submitted by countries, and conveys its findings to the United Nations General Assembly.

Ms. Karp's candidacy comes at a time of dramatic improvement in Israel's standing within the United Nations system. Following over thirty years of exclusion from elected UN positions, four Israeli candidates, including Ms. Karp, have been elected to UN posts in the past eighteen months: Mr. Mayer Gabay, who won a seat on the UN Administrative Tribunal, Dr. Carmel Shalev, who joined the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and Prof. David Kretzmer who now serves on the Human Rights Committee.

Israel Seeks Greater Cooperation with UNDP and UNICEF At a February 1995 meeting between Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gad Yaacobi and UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth, Israel and the United Nations Development Programme agreed in principle to enhance their cooperation in global and regional activities. A working group has been created to formalize the agreement and explore specific project proposals.

Cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund was discussed in a July 1995 meeting between representatives of Israel and UNICEF. Speaking with Carol Bellamy, the new executive director of UNICEF, Ambassador Yaacobi expressed Israel's interest to increase its involvement in UNICEF's activities. He raised the possibility of cooperation for developing countries and assistance to Palestinians in order to strengthen the peace process.

Water Management Seminar Convenes in Israel

Water management experts from over 30 countries met in Jerusalem last May to share from Israel's experience in meeting the water-related needs of desert regions.

The Symposium on Sustainable Water Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions was held on May 15-19 at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, under the sponsorship of the Israeli and Japanese governments, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Arid Lands Consortium.

A series of lectures, panel discussions, round tables and working groups addressed diverse areas of water management including environmental and health aspects of irrigation with treated sewage water, efficient irrigation technologies, desalination, and water quality improvement.

Participants included representatives to the peace process's multilateral working group on water, as well as representatives of national and regional organizations, and government ministries from participating countries. Experts were addressed by leading Israeli experts and academics.

Emphasizing the symposium's importance, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gad Yaacobi said, "This is the first time Israel has enlisted the support of the United Nations, foreign governments and international NGO's to convene a jointly sponsored conference in Israel. The cooperation and the opportunity for them to learn about Israel's experience first-hand will help build even better relations with the cosponsors and participating countries."

Participants concluded the symposium by preparing policy recommendations, suggestions for further areas of study, and proposals for regional water management mechanisms. These proposals will be disseminated by the UN to all interested parties.