Israeli officials here expressed disappointment with the adoption of two anti-Israel resolutions Thursday by the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
The adoption of the two measures had been anticipated, but the margin of defeat came as a bitter surprise. Only the United States opposed the measures, both of which passed by a vote of 48-1.
Support for the measures by European nations, including Britain, Germany and France, particularly disappointed the Israelis, who hold observer status at the council.
Avraham Milo, Israel’s deputy representative to the United Nations European headquarters here, said the Israelis did their best to dissuade the Europeans from voting for the resolutions.
One measure expressed concern over Israeli trade practices in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, as outlined in a report issued by U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar.
The resolution also asked the secretary-general to prepare a comprehensive report on Israeli land and water policies in the administered territories and to submit the report to the 45th U.N. General Assembly, which convenes in New York this fall.
In a second resolution, the council called on the international community, the U.N. system, and the intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to increase assistance to the Palestinian people “in close cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization.”
It also called for Israel to lift certain restrictions, which it said hinder the implementation of U.N. assistance projects.
Harry Cahill, the U.S. delegate to council, said that while the United States firmly supports assistance to the Palestinian people, it does not believe in channeling funds for this purpose through the PLO.
He said both resolutions were unbalanced in their criticism of Israel and did not contribute in any practical way to improving the situation in the administered territories.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
