Israeli and U.S. officials are in the process of drafting a resolution to repeal the infamous 1975 U.N. General Assembly resolution denigrating Zionism as a form of racism.
Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Yoram Aridor, said a U.S.-prepared draft is being studied and there is hope that the resolution will finally be repealed in the upcoming General Assembly session.
The two countries are ” working very closely” on preparing a draft that could be submitted this fall if its passage in assured by a “comfortable majority,” Aridor said at a news conference here last week.
“When we have the final count, we will move forward, ” he said.
Although repeal of the resolution would “delete a shameful stain from the United Nations, it does not mean all the problems with the United Nations are solved,” he warned.
Israel has long charged the United Nations with harboring an anti-Israel bias, and the Jewish state points specifically to Resection 3379 ,which describes the Zionist movement as racist.
Many countries have called for the resolution’s repeal. But until recently, few the resolution’s repeal. But until recently, few believed Israel could muster enough votes in the General Assembly to accomplish this.
With the collapse of Soviet domination over Eastern Europe two years ago, Israel was able to renew ties with a number of countries that originally supported the resolution. Eastern European leaders are now vocal supporters of the resolution’s repeal, as are many South American countries.
Last year, there was hope the issue could have been brought up in the last General Assembly, but the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and a series of Security Council resolutions critical of Israel poisoned the atmosphere.
A QUESTION OF TIMING
Aridor said that Israel, the United States some other supporters are studying the situation carefully to decide when and if the repeal resolution should be brought up during the next General Assembly.
Supporter of the measure’s repeal point out that timing is very important. It would be a terrible blow if the General Assembly voted against repeal, which would in effect reaffirm the resolution.
Aridor, who is a vocal critic of the United Nations, called it a “biased, one-sided institution.” He pointed out that although the Security Council frequently criticizes Israel, it never condemns the killing of Jews by Arabs.
“We know exactly what the United Nations stands for. Certainly, it doesn’t stand for Israel,” he said during the news conference.
When asked why Israel does not just totally ignore the United Nations if it is so anti-Israel, Aridor said it is important that Israel respond to all charges.
“I suppose that although you can’t bring positive victories, we can prevent sometimes worse decisions, ” he said. Aridor reiterated the Israeli government view that the United Nations has no role to play in a Middle East peace process between Israel and the Arab countries.
Although the United States has suggested that Israel allow a U.N. observer with no powers to attend any peace negotiations, Israel has refused, believing that any U.N. involvement would set a dangerous precedent.
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.
