New UNSC members not expected to tilt balance of power for Israel
Ambassador Danny Danon tells ‘Post’ that the new members will join UNSC in 2021, while a significant diplomatic battle around Israeli sovereignty could happen as early as next week.
By OMRI NAHMIASThe United Nations Security Council meets about the situation in Venezuela in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 26, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS/CARLO ALLEGRI)
WASHINGTON – Canada’s lost bid to become a member of the United Nations’ Security Council is unfortunate, but it is not expected to change the balance of power within the UN body, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told The Jerusalem Post.The UN elected four new members for the Security Council on Wednesday: Norway and Ireland won the three-way race with Canada on two of the spots; Mexico and India ran unopposed and Kenya won the final contested seat on Thursday defeating Djibouti.“We have a great relationship with India and Mexico,” Danon told the Post. “We are disappointed that Canada didn’t make it, both because we have close ties with the country and because of the campaign that the Palestinians ran against Canada,” the ambassador added.Danon noted that the new members of the Security Council are representing a group of countries, and therefore, the EU, for example, would affect Ireland’s position. He told the Post that given the US veto on Israel-related issues, he is not worried about the changes. “We have a good relationship with Ireland and Norway as well, but we can’t compare it to the relationship that we’ve got with Canada,” he said.One of the most critical issues for Israel when it comes to the Security Council is the reaction for a possible Israeli move to annex parts of the West Bank. Danon told the Post that for that matter, the new members of the Council will have no influence, since their membership will take effect in 2021, and the Palestinians are campaigning against the move today.“We are expecting a discussion in the Security Council next week,” he said. “These issues will not wait until 2021.” Danon told the Post that the Security Council meeting on June 24 would likely focus on Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank. He added that the meeting, which was supposed to be a closed-door meeting, is now expected to be open.“The [Palestinians] are gearing up,” he said, “but the fact that the UN is not functioning regularly due to COVID-19 makes it harder for them.” The ambassador added that the Palestinians might try to draft a joint resolution about the peace process, but it’s unclear how many countries would support that.
