Global Policy Forum

By Julie Stahl

Israel is concerned that reforms in the United Nations Security Council could lead to a "watering down" of the U.S. veto power, which is often used to prevent the passage of anti-Israel resolutions, an official in Jerusalem said. Leaders from nearly 100 nations, including President Bush, are in New York this week to participate in the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The debates will continue for two weeks.

This year's session, the 59th, is being viewed primarily as a preparatory session for an overhaul of the U.N. for its 60th anniversary next year. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has said that no UN reform would be considered complete "without Security Council reform bringing it into line with today's realities." He has appointed a committee to create reform proposals that he may present next year.

Brazil, Germany, India and Japan are all pressing to become permanent members of an expanded council, while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is pushing for a permanent Islamic member of the council. "[Israel] is concerned about reform because of watering down the U.S. veto," said an Israeli official here who did not want to be named. "The Security Council is an 'island of sanity' in the U.N." While certain countries such as Germany and Japan may deserve a better standing on the council, he said, Israel doesn't support any reform in which it is not included. Israel is the only country in the world that is not a permanent member of any regional U.N. grouping, and therefore is not eligible to serve on groups such as the Security Council.

The powerful 15-member Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make binding resolutions. While other U.N. bodies can make recommendations to national governments, all U.N. members agree to carry out the decisions of the Security Council. The U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia all are permanent members, while other members are elected from their regional designations for two-year terms. Although each member has one vote, decisions on substantive matters require the affirmation of all five permanent members, effectively giving each one veto power. The U.S. regularly stops the passage of anti-Israel resolutions in the Security Council.

ICJ ruling

This year, Israel is mainly concerned that the International Court of Justice's recent advisory opinion against Israel's security fence will be factored into anti-Israel resolutions. Israel is expecting some 21 resolutions against the fence. The issue of the fence probably will be brought to another session of the General Assembly, where members will try to send it to the Security Council, said the Israeli official. America will veto it and then it will go back to the General Assembly for a special emergency session, he predicted.

The General Assembly already passed a non-binding resolution against the security barrier in July, ordering Israel to tear down the fence and pay compensation to Palestinians. Only six nations voted against the resolution and 10 abstained. All 25 European nations voted in favor of the resolution, although many had opposed the issue being sent to the ICJ in the first place. Israel has been vigorously lobbying the European states and others to vote against any future resolution in the General Assembly regarding the fence.

While not binding, such a resolution could suggest that member states apply sanctions to Israel or sever diplomatic relations. The General Assembly adopted such a resolution in 1982 regarding Israel. Most of the European nations voted against it. Israel suffered very little fallout from that resolution, the official said. Nevertheless, the official said Israel sees the possibility as "serious." Its aim is to prevent a "moral majority" from accepting it in the assembly, he said, in reference to the fact that the Arab and Muslim states always have an automatic majority in the assembly.

"We don't know everything that the Palestinians are planning but we do read their intentions," the official said. And their intentions are "to bring a resolution on the fence following advisory opinion on the ICJ." The ICJ delivered an advisory opinion in July saying that the barrier is illegal. The Palestinians claim that the fence is a political move, designed to grab land they want for a future state. But Israel says it is an effective security measure to stop suicide bombers and points to the sharp decrease in suicide attacks during the last year.

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