If friends of the United States are measured by how often they vote with Washington in the U.N. General Assembly, then Israel can be called America’s best friend.
Israel voted with the United States 91 percent of the time, more than any other nation, according to the sixth annual “Report to Congress on Voting Practices in the United Nations,” which the State Department submitted Wednesday.
The next highest supporters of U.S. positions during the General Assembly session last fall were Britain, with 83.1 percent, and West Germany, with 78.8 percent.
Among Washington’s Arab friends, Jordan supported the United States the most, 11.8 percent of the time.
Egypt supported the United States 8.6 percent of the time; Saudi Arabia, 8.3 percent; and Morocco, 7.8 percent.
Vernon Walters, who prepared the report before ending his term as the U.S ambassador to the United Nations, cautioned that the votes in the world body are only one dimension of a country’s relationship to the United States and its support of U.S. interests.
“Nevertheless, because a number of decisions taken by U.N. bodies significantly affects these interests, the positions taken by member states at the United Nations should be considered while assessing the state of its overall relationship with the United States,” Walters said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
