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Give Israel Equal Treatment and Representation

(Miami Herald) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen - Congress is currently engaged in a detailed and comprehensive review of the UN with the goal of recommending reforms that will ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency. A critical component of this effort must include measures to ensure that Israel is afforded equal treatment and representation, while addressing the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic component that is pervasive in many UN bodies and agencies. Israel is a democracy, and yet its sovereignty and its right to defend itself are frequently called into question in the UN system. The ruling last summer by the International Court of Justice on Israel's security fence is a case in point. Not only was Israel's inherent right to self-defense branded illegitimate by the UN, but terrorists and suicide bombers remained uncensored. Israel is denied the ability to serve or run for leadership positions in multiple UN bodies and agencies. By contrast, there are several UN groups devoted to "Palestinian Rights" and an entire agency, UNRWA, specifically designated for "Palestinian refugees" at a cost of over $400 million in 2004. Any efforts at reforming the UN must include an end to the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment that has infected that organization for so long.
2005-04-07 00:00:00
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