American Jewish Committee Offers House Panel Six-Point Plan For Ending Anti-Israel Campaign At UNAmerican Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee today presented to a congressional panel a six-point plan for firm and persistent U.S. action to end the discriminatory treatment of Israel at the United Nations. "There is barely a body in the UN system that has not been co-opted or terrorized into adopting a resolution, special procedure, agenda item or mechanism that singles out Israel and Israel alone," said AJC President Bruce M. Ramer in testimony before the House International Relations Committee.  "Although it is the member states themselves, acting within the framework of the UN, that have pressed this campaign against Israel," said Mr. Ramer, "the UN suffers as a result, its fairness questioned, its credibility and moral authority compromised." Mr. Ramer, a prominent attorney in Los Angeles, provided a list of the most egregious examples of the campaign against Israel waged within the UN system, pointing out that the latest outrage is an unprecedented meeting of the Fourth Geneva Convention signatories slated for tomorrow to discuss only Israel. In the 50 years since the adoption of the Convention, the signatories have never met for the purpose of discussing a specific conflict or territorial situation. The AJC's six-point plan for reversing the UN's unfair treatment of Israel calls for: - The ongoing U.S. commitment to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict through direct bilateral negotiations. - U.S. diplomats, from the highest levels to the lowest, to intensify their vigorous efforts to resist and alter the discriminatory measures against Israel at the UN. - U.S. officials to speak out when there is discriminatory treatment of Israel in the UN. - The U.S. to pay its UN debt in full and then continue to pay its dues in full and on time. - The U.S. to urge countries to take responsibility for their own votes and not accept "bloc" voting patterns as an excuse for their actions. - U.S. officials to not denigrate the UN as an institution because it in fact plays important roles that serve American and global interests. "Through our engagement with the UN, and through forceful diplomatic efforts with governments around the world, the United States can help steer the United Nations away from the one-sided and cynical positions toward Israel that, as a result of willful or passive acts by UN members states, have sullied the reputation and undermined the credibility of this indispensable institution," Mr. Ramer said. AJC, one of 42 organizations invited by President Roosevelt to advise the U.S. delegation at the founding of the UN, has long been supportive of the world body, but also has pressed for the UN to fulfill its Charter by treating all member states equally. AJC has long stressed the importance of "normalizing" Israel's position in the UN through persistent advocacy with governments around the world, regular meetings with U.S. political leaders, and in public education campaigns, including advertisements in major newspapers. The campaign against Israel within the UN system is detailed in the annual AJC publication, "One-Sided," which is issued in the fall to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York.
For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org |
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