Tag Archive for UNSC

| November 18, 2013
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Jordan to attain seat on UN Security Council after Saudi Arabia refused

UN General Assembly to vote on giving Jordan the seat traditionally reserved for an Muslim country after Riyadh refused the offer.

 

 

Jordan’s foreign ministry said Monday the kingdom has presented a request to the United Nations seeking candidacy for a Security Council seat that Saudi Arabia had turned down.

UN Security Council - AP - Archive

A session of the UN Security Council.- Photo: AP

The Saudis’ rejection of the seat — just 24 hours after it was elected — had stunned the world organization.

According to the Jordanian ministry statement Monday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh telephoned UN chief Ban Ki-moon late Sunday after sending Jordan’s “official request” in writing.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| October 18, 2013
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Saudi Arabia passes on UNSC seat, cites ‘double standards’ for Mid-East


Saudi Foreign Ministry claims the UN Security Council’s ‘double standards’ keep it from properly administrating its responsibilities to forward world peace.

By Reuters

 

Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented show of anger at the failure of the international community to end the war in Syria and act on other Middle East issues, said on Friday it would not take up its seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal Saudi arabia

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal speaks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, March 4, 2013. – Photo: AP

The kingdom condemned what it called international double standards on the Middle East and demanded reforms in the Security Council. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| October 4, 2013
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Israel will seek UN Security Council seat for 2019-20

 

‘We’re going all out to win’ reported Israel’s UN Ambassador Prosor, but other UN diplomats admit it won’t be easy in wake of strong anti-Israel bloc.

By Reuters

 

Israel said on Thursday it plans to run for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council for the first time ever for 2019-2020, although UN diplomats said it will not be easy for the Jewish state to win.

Ron Prosor – Photo: AP

“We’re going all out to win,” Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor told Reuters. “It’s about time.”

Winning a Security Council seat requires a two-thirds majority in the 193-nation General Assembly. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| August 28, 2013
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LIVE TIMELINE: US readies strike on Syria as GB drafting UNSC resolution

 

Video: UN inspectors arrive outside Damascus at site of chemical attack.

Israeli cabinet convenes to discuss probable U.S.- U.K. attack.

By

 

Momentum appeared to build Wednesday for Western military action against Syria, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position for a strike, while the government in Damascus vowed to use all possible measures to repel it.

USS Nimitz.

A U.S. Navy F/A 18 Hornet fighter jet lands on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier. – Photo: Reuters

 

The prospect of a dramatic U.S.-led intervention into Syria’s civil war stemmed from the West’s assertion – still not endorsed by UN inspectors – that President Bashar Assad‘s government was responsible for an alleged chemical attack on civilians outside Damascus on August 21 that the group Doctors Without Borders says killed 355 people. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| August 22, 2013
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UN probes Israeli response to rockets, but not Syria chemical attack on civilians

 

UN hypocrisy is always reaching new heights. This time the UNSC declined to investigate claims of a Syrian chemical weapons massacre.

By Ryan Jones

 

The United Nations on Wednesday again revealed its true colors when it stopped short of ordering an official probe into charges that the Syrian government had killed hundreds of its own citizens in a chemical weapons attack.

United Nations Security Council - Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

United Nations Security Council – Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 

That decision was especially interesting to Israelis, who are still irked by the UN’s massive and widely-publicized probe into the Gaza War that began in late 2009 after Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorists escalated missile attacks against southern Israel. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| August 21, 2013
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Amb. Prosor reports to UNSC: Hezbollah’s Nasrallah has no regard for human life

 

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor delivered a scathing attack on Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, in his address to the U.N. Security Council, saying,  ‘Hezbollah is a ruthless terrorist group committing double war crimes again, this time in Syria, by operating among civilians & directing attacks against civilians.’

By Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor has delivered a scathing attack on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the group’s involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor – Photo: Shahar Azran

“The atrocities in Syria have been made possible by the backing [Syrian President Bashar] Assad receives from Hezbollah,” Prosor said n an address to the U.N.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| August 20, 2013
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UN rights chief seeks legality of US & Israel drone use

 

UN wishes to examine the legal terms of US and Israeli drone use, which asks to clarify basis of counter-terrorism or military strikes in areas of armed conflict.

Associated Press

 

The UN human rights chief is urging the United States and Israel to clarify the legal basis for the use of armed drones in Pakistan, Yemen and Gaza.

Israel Air Force Drone – Photo courtesy IDF Spokesperson’s Office

Navi Pillay told a UN Security Council meeting Monday on protection of civilians that “the current lack of transparency surrounding their use creates an accountability vacuum and affects the ability of victims to seek redress.” Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| August 11, 2013
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Car bomb detonated near Iran, Hezbollah compound in Damascus

Israel Radio reports that Syrian rebels claim responsibility for an attack at a compound in Damascus, which killed 40 Hezbollah & Iranian fighters.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
 

 

Syrian rebel forces claim they killed at least 40 Hezbollah and Iranian fighters in Damascus, according to Israel Radio.

Flags of Hezbollah, Assad's Syria

Flags of Hezbollah, Assad’s Syria – Photo: REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

The rebels say they detonated a car bomb near a compound where the operatives from Iran and Hezbollah gathered for a meeting, Israel Radio reported. These claims could not be independently corroborated.

Last month, the UN Security Council called on Lebanese Hezbollah militants to end any involvement in the conflict in neighboring Syria, while Lebanon’s UN envoy pledged that his country would keep its borders open to Syrians fleeing the violence.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| July 24, 2013
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Nothing new at the UN, Palestinians charge Israel with war-crimes

Despite resumed talks between Israel & Palestinians, at UN Security Council debate, Palestinian rep charges Israel commits war crimes, continues to build settlements and confiscates their land.

Israeli ambassador criticized the EU ban.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

 

While the Americans are trying to close out the invitations of the Israeli and Palestinian representatives to direct talks in Washington, in New York the two sides are continuing to go head-to-head. Palestinian representative to the UN, Riyad Mansour, stated Tuesday that Israel was committing “war crimes” against his people.

Ron Prosor – Photo: Shahar Azran

At the monthly meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, Mansour said that Israel continues to build in the West Bank, confiscating land, clearing land, removing residents from their land, and supporting extremists who commit “terror” against Palestinians in the West Bank. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| July 18, 2013
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Samantha Power commits US to push for Israeli seat on UNSC

Obama’s nominee for UN ambassador, tells Senate hearing she will combat ‘unacceptable bias’ against Jewish state and push for a Security Council seat to secure greater integration of Israeli public servants in the UN.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s decision to appoint Samantha Power as the American ambassador to the UN has raised concerns in Jerusalem due to her past statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but during her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday Power said “The United States has no greater friend in the world than the State of Israel” and pledged to combat the “unacceptable bias” against Israel at the global body. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| June 9, 2013
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UNSC: Israel said they would attack Syrian tanks on Golan Heights

Document submitted to UN Security Council says IDF told UN commander they would ‘take action’ if Syrian army tanks entered into agreed buffer zone during Quneitra battle with rebel.

By Ynet

 

The fierce battles in the Quneitra region between the Syrian army and rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad threatened to result in a significant military confrontation between Israel and Syria, American blogger Nabil Abi Saab reported on Saturday.

פקחים, תצפיתנים ודריכות. אזור הקרבות בקונייטרה (צילום: AP)

UN vehicles near Quneitra battle zone – Photo: AP

The report was based on a document submitted to the Security Council by Herve Ladsous, UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| May 25, 2013
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Israel in UN: Assad Purposely Provoking Us

“This week’s events are part of a disturbing pattern of events intended to spark provocation with Israel,” said UN ambassador to Security Council.

By Arutz Sheva

 

Israel on Saturday accused Syrian forces of trying to provoke conflict following a border clash.

Tensions around Golan Heights ceasefire zone between the two rivals have escalated since Syrian forces fired across the UN-patrolled ceasefire line and hit an Israeli military vehicle on Tuesday.

“This week’s events are part of a disturbing pattern of events intended to spark provocation with Israel,” said Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor in a letter to the UN Security Council. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| May 14, 2013
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Germany plans to replace Israel in the 2018 UN Security Council

 

Israel has long sought a position on the security council, and it appeared likely when it was scheduled for a seat in 2018, but Germany’s decision to seek the spot eliminates Israel, who lacks the stature to rival Germany’s bid.

By Shlomo Cesana

 

Israel issued a formal complaint against Germany for blocking it from serving on the U.N. Security Council in 2018. Israel has never held a position on the council, although nations such as Syria and Iran have.

The U.N. Security Council – Photo: AP

The Security Council comprises five permanent and 10 rotating members, elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms and chosen from regional groups. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| March 28, 2013
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UNSC: Both Syria & rebels must ensure safety of UN in Golan

UN Security Council calls on Syrian gov’t & rebel leaders to ensure the safety of all UN peacekeeping force monitoring ceasefire line on Syria-Israel border in the Golan Heights.

Associated Press

 

Also Wednesday, the UN Security Council called on the Syrian government and rebel fighters to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the UN peacekeeping force that has monitored a cease-fire line between Israel and Syria for nearly four decades.

UN peacekeepers kidnapped by rebels – Photo: AFP/Youtube

Council members underscored the increased risk the conflict poses to UN personnel, highlighted by the recent hostage-taking of 21 peacekeepers by armed opposition elements. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| February 25, 2013
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Merkel: Russia & China realize Assad’s time is up

Both Security Council Super Powers have always blocked attempts by the West to mount pressure on the Syrian president to end the violence in the nearly 2 year civil war that has killed some 70,000 people.

By Reuters

 

China and Russia are increasingly realizing that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s time is up, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday, as she visited German troops stationed with NATO Patriot missiles close to the Turkish-Syrian frontier.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan address the media after talks in Berlin October 31, 2012. – Photo: Reuters

Merkel, beginning a two-day trip to Turkey, said the missiles, provided at NATO member Turkey’s request, were a signal that the alliance would not tolerate Damascus dragging its neighbors into its conflict. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , , ,
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