UN passes Israeli-sponsored agricultural development bill
With 138 states voting yes on resolution, Israeli mission calls vote “Hanukka miracle."
By MAYA SHWAYDER JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENTUnited Nations HQ in New York(photo credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
NEW YORK – The UN on Tuesday passed an Israeli-sponsored resolution on “agricultural technology for development,” a bill dedicated to sustainable agricultural advancements for developing countries.This is the third time in its history at the UN that Israel has passed a resolution by a majority vote.Calling it a “Hanukka miracle,” the Israeli Mission to the UN announced that a record number of member states – 138 in total – had voted yes on the resolution.The Arab group led the 34 abstentions to the vote. One country, Bolivia, voted no. The resolution had 105 cosponsors with Israel.The mission called it a “breakthrough in promoting access to agricultural technologies in developing countries,” and said the bill specifically emphasizes the introduction and use of them by young people and women in Africa.“Where Israel works to bring repair to the world, Arab countries are putting up walls,” UN Ambassador Ron Prosor said in a statement. “The technologies developing in Israel are now at the forefront of the global fight to eradicate poverty and hunger. The unprecedented support of the Israeli resolution proves that Israel is a technological powerhouse that offers creative solutions to the world.”A representative of Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab group, said the resolution was redundant with a similar one presented by China. The representative added that the resolution did not take into account the requirements in transferring technologies and financing their implementation, Jordan’s official PETRA news agency reported.
