Interpol, the international police network, has elected an Israeli to a position on its executive committee for the first time in the agency’s history.
The election is largely due to the support of the agency’s Arab members, which comes following the new relations established between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
On Sunday, Israeli Police Inspector General Rafi Peled formally announced that Deputy Commander Etty Yevnin had been elected to the post. The election is conducted by secret ballot.
Yevnin is not only the first Israeli member on Interpol’s executive committee but also its first-ever woman member. She becomes one of two members from Asia on the committee.
Peled said Yevnin, who is head of international relations for the Israeli police, beat out the Australian inspector general and a senior Jordanian police officer for the post.
Police Commander Yossi Levi, who speaks fluent Arabic, negotiated the support of the Persian Gulf states, Egypt, Morocco and apparently Syria for the Israeli police officer.
Levi said: “We knew we had a chance to win but were still astonished by the support we received from the Arab nations.”
In return, Israel helped gather support for Egypt to represent Africa on the executive committee.
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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.
