HRES 624 IH

GENE GREEN of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which Whereas Israel joined the United Nations in 1949, as the 59th member of that organization; CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas in May 2000, Israel accepted an invitation to become a temporary member of the United Nations' Western European and Others Group (WEOG), and in May 2004, Israel was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Whereas the State of Israel is the only member of the Western and Others GroupWEOG 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;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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

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

Whereas Israel has submitted its candidacy for membership on the United Nations Security Council for 2019 and hopes to gain the 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 to which it is entitled as a sovereign state;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas at the opening of the 61st General United Nations 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';CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, in January 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution condemning any denial of the Holocaust Israel has played an active role in the international community and within the United Nations;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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 IsraelDirector of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's United Nations Political Affairs Department, has beenwas chosen to chair a United Nations committee, the Committee on Program and Coordination (CPC);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

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); andWhereas 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;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, in 2005, the United Nations held an unprecedented session to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp: Now, therefore, be itCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(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;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





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





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





(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;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) urges the members of WEOGthe United Nations' Western European and Others Group (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 of the United Nations; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) calls upon United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to continue to work to end any unfair vilification of Israel at the United Nations and to use his good offices to supportensure Israel's bid to join the Asian regional groupingfull participation in, and access to, all international fora under United Nations auspices.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Clerk.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink