Under pressure of the Arab bloc in the World Health Organization, Israel has once again been “read out” of its geographical position as an Eastern Mediterranean country.
W.H.O. announced today that a subcommittee of its Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean will hold a meeting at Beirut, Lebanon, from Sept. 27 to Sept. 30. “Shortly afterward” another subcommittee for the same region will be held at Mogadiscio, Somaliland, to which, presumably, Israel will be invited.
According to W.H.O., a poll was recently conducted among the members in the Eastern Mediterranean region, asking whether they would be willing to have two subcommittees–one including Israel and the other excluding the Jewish State–meet at the same place and on dates close together. The member nations–overwhelmingly Arabic–vetoed that suggestion. The Arab bloc insists that Israel must not be present, even in the same locality, when they attend a W.H.O. meeting. In the W.H.O., Arab League member countries have refused since 1951 to meet with Israel.
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