An Arab League committee is purportedly drafting a plan to thwart Israel’s bid to join the United Nations Security Council in the 2019-2020 term.
According to a report in the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the plan to block Israel’s bid will be put forth as a recommendation to Arab foreign ministers at their next meeting.
“The plan of action that was prepared by the committee during its previous meeting was circulated to Member States,” said Saeed Abu Ali, the Arab League’s assistant secretary general for “Palestine and occupied Arab lands.”
Abu Ali claimed that Israel has ignored more than 80 Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian issue, and that “a country that considers itself above the law cannot be rewarded with a membership in the Security Council.”
Israel, which is a member of the council’s Western European and Others Group, is the only Middle East country that has never obtained a non-permanent seat on the U.N. body. Israel has been working to garner enough support to defeat either Germany or Belgium in a three-way race for two spots in the Security Council. The vote will take place in June.
Israel’s chance for success in the vote might be improved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing effort to forge relationships with countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia to gain more support in the U.N. Israel has also seen increased support at the world body from the U.S. under the Trump administration and its U.N. envoy, Nikki Haley.
“The committee stressed the importance of convening the at the ministerial level to discuss the current developments, especially in light of reports that the Zambia will host the 2018 African-Israel Summit,” the Arab League report said.
