The 38th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which opens here tomorrow, promises to be as anti-Israeli as previous sessions, diplomats and observers her agree, But, they also agree, the Arabs have no prospects of gaining any meaningful diplomatic victories against Israel, apart from the usual anti-Israel votes in the Assembly and the various UN committee.
In the views of diplomats here, the first few weeks of the 12-week Assembly will be oversahadowed by two current international crises: the shooting down of the Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 by the Soviets, and the renewed hostilities in Lebanon and the growing involvement of the two superpowers in the crisis there.
“There is no doubt that we are going to hear again all the anti-Israeli slogans during the 38th session of the Assembly, “one diplomat observed. “But at the same time the focus of attention will be shifted somewhat away from Israel in view of the growing confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, It is , therefore, expected that during the general debate in the Assembly, the attention of the delegates will be centered around the American-Soviet confrontation and less on the Arabs’ efforts to smear Israel.”
THE ISSUE OF ISRAEL’S CREDENTIALS
The Arabs, nonetheless, are not going to give up their “traditional ” offensive against the Jewish State, diplomats noted. They pointed out that the extremists in the Arab camps, such as Libya, Syria and Iraq (and, as in the last few years, Iran as well), are likely to attempt to deprive Israel of its credentials to the Assembly, which, in effect, would result in the suspension of Israel from the 38th session.
So far, all previous Arab attempts in that direction were thwarted by firm American opposition. The United States made it clear that any attempt to suspend Israel would be met by severe American retaliation, including the suspension of its dues — which amount to 25 percent of the UN budget.
“We are going to hear in the next few weeks many rumors about the Arabs efforts to suspend Israel.” one Israeli official said, “but I do not think any thing of that sort is going to happen, The United States is in no mood these days for this kind of game…
ARABS NOT CERTAIN OF BLACK AFRICAN SUPPORT
The explosive situation in Lebanon and the continuing war between Iran and Iraq — going well into its fourth year — will clearly stand between any attempts by the Arabs and their supporters to create a meaningful and effective anti-Israeli campaign during the 38th session of the Assembly, the diplomats said.
They added that the Arabs are not certain to obtain this year the automatic support they enjoyed in the last 10 years from Black African nations in view of the new inroads Israel has made among various Black African nations, some of whom have restored their diplomatic ties with Israel and reopened their embassies in Jerusalem, The Arabs, however, will continue what has become the cornerstone of their anti-Israel diplomacy at the UN, one senior Israeli diplomat explained. “The Arabs will try again to delegitimize the existence of Israel, by passing more and more anti-Israeli resolutions, “the Israeli official said, contending that this has been their undeclared aim since the 1967 Six-Day War.
“It is clear, therefore, that the Arabs are going to revive such anti-Israeli resolutions as the 1975 Assembly resolution equating Zionism with racism, which supports their legal battle of delegitimizing the Jewish State, “the official said.
VEHICLES OF ATTACK AGAINST ISRAEL
The major attacks against Israel, diplomats said, will come during the debates on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East –two separate debates that are in essence one: a vehicle of attack against Israel by the Arabs and their allies, Another one issue that will serve as a vehicle for attacking Israel is one referred to the provisional agenda of the Assembly as “on Israeli aggression against the Iraqi nuclear installation and its grave consequences for the established international system….”
The recent political developments in Israel will not hamper in the presentation of a coheren’ and forceful Israeli view in the Assembly, Israeli diplomats said. They pointed out that the basic foreign policy principles of Israel will not change under Yitzhak Shamir should he become the new premier, Shamir had been scheduled to head the Israeli delegation to the Assembly, He will probably be replaced now by another high ranking Israeli official.
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