AJC Steps Up Its Campaign To End Discrimination Against Israel In United Nations System

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 17 September 1998

For the second consecutive year the American Jewish Committee will sponsor a major advertising campaign in leading national and international newspapers and periodicals, asking readers to take an active role in urging Israel's acceptance as an equal member of the United Nations system.

The first of these AJC ads will appear in the International Herald Tribune on September 19-20 and The New York Times on September 23.

Nearly five decades after becoming a UN member, Israel is still not eligible to sit on the Security Council and other key UN bodies. To be eligible, a country must belong to a regional group. Israel is the only member country denied the right to belong to any regional group.

The American Jewish Committee has been in the forefront of efforts to end discrimination against Israel in the UN by pressing for Israel's temporary acceptance in the West European and Others Group (WEOG). Since AJC launched this campaign last year, numerous encouraging developments have occurred, including:

On March 25, 1998, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called for "the normalization of Israel's status within the United Nations;"

Four WEOG member countries -- the U.S., Australia, Canada and Norway -- have reaffirmed their support for Israel's admission to WEOG;

Tens of thousands of people from around the world have responded to AJC's call for action by conveying their messages of support for Israel by telephone, mail and e-mail to European Union (EU) representatives, UN Secretary General Annan and former Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the UN, Ambassador Bill Richardson; and

On May 22, 1998, the United States Senate passed by voice vote a resolution, sponsored by Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Richard G. Lugar and co-sponsored by 55 Senators, supporting Israel's acceptance to WEOG and calling upon the Secretary of State to closely monitor Israel's progress in securing membership in the UN regional group. A similar initiative, sponsored by Representatives Steven R. Rothman and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and co-sponsored by 111 Representatives, is pending in the House of Representatives.

AJC's newest ad features mail-in coupons addressed to the representatives of the "troika" -- the current, immediate past and future presidencies of the European Union which are Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany respectively. These messages can also be accessed and sent via AJC's website at www.ajc.org

This issue will also be stressed when AJC leadership delegations meet separately and privately with prime ministers and foreign ministers from over 45 nations, including several EU members, gathered in New York for the opening of the UN's General Assembly.

The full-page AJC ad highlights "countries eligible to sit on the United Nations Security Council," listing below 184 member countries, including Iran, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, all sponsors of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department. It also lists "countries not eligible to sit on the United Nations Security Council" – Israel alone.

The text of the ad reads, in part: "Without membership in a regional group, Israel can never be elected to serve a term on the Security Council or, for that matter, to the other most important bodies of the UN system, such as the Economic and Social Council, the World Court, and the commission on Human Rights.

"What should you do? Make yourself heard! You can make a difference."

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