AJC Commends Kofi Annan's Call For An End To Un Bias Against Israel

American Jewish Committee
Wednesday, 1 April 1998

The American Jewish Committee commends the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his call to end UN bias against Israel. Kofi Annan's recognition of frequent and historical UN bias against Israel and his plea for the normalization of Israel's status within the world body are welcome changes from the one-sided condemnations of Israel that are all-too commonplace in the international community.

The Secretary-General's comments were made before the Israel Foreign Relations Council in Jerusalem on March 25. They included a strong condemnation of anti-Semitism and of the AIDS blood libel voiced last year at the UN Human Rights Commission. These remarks hold out the promise of a long awaited and much needed sea-change at the UN.

The UN Secretary-General publicly acknowledged the perception of an anti-Israel bias at the UN, called for Israel to be permitted to join a regional group, condemned terrorism and criticized anti-Semitism -- including anti-Semitic remarks and resolutions at the United Nations itself. These significant statements disclose a new sense of reality in the front office of the UN.

Mr. Annan set a new and long overdue standard of honesty when he said, "I know that the United Nations is regarded by many as biased against the State of Israel. I know that Israelis see hypocrisy and double standards in the intense scrutiny given to some of its actions, while other situations fail to elicit the world's outrage and condemnations."

The American Jewish Committee is especially pleased that Secretary-General Annan has publicly called for "the normalization of Israel's status within the United Nations." Since last September, AJC has pursued a vigorous public action campaign across the country and around the world to encourage the European Union to invite Israel to join the West European and Others Group (WEOG) of the UN. Mr. Annan commented: "One way to write a new chapter would be to rectify an anomaly: Israel's position as the only Member State that is not a member of one of the regional groups, which means it has no chance of being elected to serve on main organs such as the Security Council or the Economic and Social Council. This anomaly should be corrected. We must uphold the principle of equality among all United Nations Member States."

Regarding the outrageous accusation leveled against Israel last year in the Commission on Human Rights that Israeli doctors were infecting Palestinian children with the AIDS virus, we

were pleased that Secretary-General Annan personally spoke out unequivocally against these "baseless allegations," calling them "totally unacceptable" and deserving of "universal condemnation," and that the chair of the Commission on Human Rights, Miroslav Somol of the Czech Republic, did likewise when the Commission opened on March 16.

In addressing the "broader fight against anti-Semitism," the Secretary-General noted that "this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must use the occasion to denounce anti-Semitism in all of its manifestations. This brings me to the

lamentable resolution adopted by the General Assembly in 1975, equating Zionism with racism and racial discrimination." Mr. Annan forthrightly cited the infamous resolution as "a low point" for the UN.

We are hopeful that these statements, strong and candid, signal the beginning of a new relationship between Israel and the United Nations. We urge Member States, particularly the West European states and other democracies, to follow the Secretary-General's example of courage and leadership in relations with Israel.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org