Anti-israel Measures Pass U.n., but This Time with Less Support

An annual package of resolutions on the Middle East, many of them criticizing Israel, passed the General Assembly on Friday by large margins.

But Israeli officials were stressing the good news: Several of the most egregious anti-Israel resolutions did not come to a vote, but were postponed indefinitely by their Arab sponsors, presumably because they feared risking defeat.

Other measures had their language toned down, and there was an increase in the number of countries abstaining, rather than supporting the hostile measures.

Israeli officials described the outcome as a moderate change in the right direction.

“The softer language and the improved results of the votes are a consequence of the end of the Cold War, the peace negotiations and the changed policies of the Israeli government,” Israeli Ambassador Gad Yaacobi said afterward.

Yaacobi stressed that dramatic turnarounds are not to be expected, given the slow-moving nature of the United Nations, where resolutions automatically come up for renewal each year.

This nature was illustrated when the Arab states agreed to postpone, rather than drop altogether, an omnibus resolution reiterating criticisms that have accumulated over the years on such issues as the Camp David accords and Israel’s destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor.

Yaacobi had made these “deadwood” resolutions, as he called them, a central target of his diplomatic efforts.

In those resolutions that did pass, Israelis drew attention to the more moderate tone of the condemnation. For example, a resolution criticizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights lacked language that in past years accused Israel of not desiring peace and not complying with U.N. resolutions.

It also did not call on Israel to withdraw from the Golan prior to peace negotiations and did not call for sanctions to be placed on Israel.

Even on this gentler resolution, the 70 abstentions nearly balanced the 72 votes it received from the Arab states and their allies. Joining Israel in casting the lone votes against the measure were the United States and Micronesia.

An examination of the votes for the various resolutions reveals the strong role the post-Cold War realignment is playing at the United Nations.

In the anti-Israel measures drawing the least support, those abstaining included all of Europe, from Western Europe through Russia and Kazakhstan. While Azerbaijan joined the Arab and Third World countries in supporting these measures, several other former Soviet republics were absent from the voting.

And on some procedural votes, Russia was among the handful of nations voting on the side of Israel and the United States.