AL forms committee to prevent Israel from joining UNSC

CAIRO – 10 September 2017: The Arab League (AL) adopted on Sunday a resolution to form a committee opposing Israel's attempt to join the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2019/2020 as a non-permanent member state. The UNSC elections for its non-permanent members is expected to take place in June 2018.

Palestine proposed forming the committee that includes the president of the Arab Summit, the president of the Ministerial Council, Palestine, the secretary general of the Arab League and Egypt as the only Arab state member of the UNSC to lobby against Israel’s membership. The resolution will be further discussed during the foreign ministers meeting of the AL on Tuesday.

The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt and its permanent representative to the AL, Jamal Al-Shobaki, said in a statement during the AL permanent representatives meeting in Cairo on Sunday that “Palestine fears that Israel will be able to succeed in its attempts to become a non-permanent member of the UNSC with support from the Western European Countries Group in the SC.” Shobaki urged the Arab League to move seriously and vigorously in order to prevent Israel from obtaining this position.

He added that Palestine will request the UNSC to provide international protection to the Palestinian people from Israel. Furthermore, Shobaki reported to the AL the Israeli violations during the last period including the fact that the settlements increased by 85 percent compared to the same period in 2016. He said that this expansion challenges the UNSC resolution 2334, which was adopted by the Security Council in December 2016 against the settlements. In addition, he reported that the Israeli government passed more than 20 racist laws that represent a systematic policy to erase the historic rights of the Palestinian people. He added that these laws attempt to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied East Jerusalem and to legislate killing Palestinians.

The ambassador confirmed that there is a draft resolution submitted to the AL by Palestine and Saudi Arabia to prevent the African-Israeli summit in Togo during October. He pointed out that Arab-African relations have cultural and historical roots, and that African countries have a large role in supporting Palestinian resistance. Therefore, there must be intensive Arab efforts to prevent Israel from obtaining the votes of African countries in the UNSC.

Shobaki stressed that the Palestinian cause remains a central issue for the AL, including activating the peace process, following Israeli violations especially in occupied Jerusalem, the settlements, the separation wall and supporting the resilience of the Palestinian people.

The UNSC is composed of 15 members. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. represent the five permanent members and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. More than 60 U.N. member states have never been members of the SC. A state which is a member of the U.N. but not on the SC may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the council considers that country's interests are affected. Both members and non-members of the U.N., if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the council's discussions.

In December 2016, the UNSC adopted resolution 2334 by 14 votes, with the U.S. abstaining. In this resolution, the council affirmed that Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the two-state vision living side-by-side in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders. The UNSC also demanded Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities.

During the UNSC meeting to vote on the 2334 resolution, Egypt’s representative said that it expressed the painful reality of illegitimate settlements and confiscation of Palestinian land.