Arabs at U.N. Have Not Attempted to Challenge Israel’s Credentials

Like the dog that didn’t bark in the Sherlock Holmes tale, the first fruits of the Madrid peace conference in the U.N. General Assembly can be seen in what has not happened: No challenge has been put forward to the Israeli delegation’s credentials.

Nor has the vote to approve Israeli credentials — prior to 1982, a totally routine matter — been used to criticize Israeli policies.

Arab countries have described their restraint as a goodwill gesture, though in an interview, Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Elaraby did not use that term. He said only that such fundamental aspects of the Arab-Israeli dispute now “should be left to the regional peace” talks.

But the Arabs states have kept open the possibility of such a challenge later in the General Assembly session.

The credentials challenge, first launched by the Arab states nine years ago, has always been considered by Israel to be its most serious annual battle in the General Assembly. Rejecting the credentials of the Israeli delegation would effectively expel Israel from the world body.

For that same reason, however, Israel consistently survived the challenge by a higher margin than any other anti-Israel resolution. As much as they might condemn Israel, many countries feared that expelling a member state would set a precedent that could boomerang against them as well.

Israel’s majority on this issue increased each year.

TURNING POINT WAS 2 YEARS AGO

The turning point came in 1989, when the Soviet Union abstained and former Soviet bloc countries with new ties to Israel voted against the Arabs. The result was decisively in Israel’s favor, 95-37, with 15 abstentions and 12 countries absent. Egypt voted with Israel.

Last year, the Arab states offered a less-vociferous attack on Israel. That amendment asserted that Israel’s delegation did not represent the territories “occupied” since 1967, but there was no attempt to unseat the delegates.

And in a further sign of either moderation or political weakness, this amendment was never voted on by the General Assembly.

Citing the need to preserve the anti-Iraq coalition, but doubtless mindful that even the Soviet Union was moving closer to Israel, the Arab Group kept the credentials committee report from a vote.

That marked the first time in the 46-year history of the organization that the generally routine and ceremonial process of approving delegates’ credentials was not completed.

The Egyptian ambassador described last year’s amendment as “completely different, realistic and accurate.

“You might say that Israel has not said (its delegation) covered the occupied territories, but it can be answered that Israel said it annexed occupied Jerusalem. We are against it, and no one has accepted it,” said Elaraby.

This year, the Arab states have again asked that the credentials report not be brought to a vote. So far they have not, however, offered any amendment to the report’s standard acceptance of the Israeli credentials.