The United Nations to Evaluate Israel�s Relations Towards its Arab Minority The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has demanded that Israel explain its policy concerning its Arab minority. According to the newspaper Haaretz, the topic was discussed last week at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Israel should now give a written answer to the complaints stated in its address. Prior to the discussion in Geneva, members of the UN committee received literature on the topic from the Israel Arab Minority Rights Center �Adalah� and from the �B�Tselem� group. This was confirmed by one of the heads of the Israeli section of the committee, Morton Kjaerum (Denmark). According to him, �if nongovernmental organizations produce hundreds of pages of literature, we can not ignore them�it is impossible to maintain that there is no basis for discussion�. Kjaerum added that �the UN committee will not tolerate discrimination�. At the end of the 70�s, Israel joined the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. As a result, the Israeli government is obliged to present a report to the UN committee every two years. However, Israel�s last report was produced 9 years ago. The Israeli ambassador to the UN�s Geneva headquarters, Itzhak Levanon, has noted that Israel will fully comply with the declaration�s requirements, and has not presented a report to the UN because Jerusalem prefers to present its situation as it occurs, in the form of oral reports, in front of the committee. Levanon pointed out to the UN that Israel has to continually search for a balance between security problems and respecting the rights of minorities. Source: Izrailskie Novosti
The United Nations to Evaluate Israel�s Relations Towards its Arab Minority
Prior to the discussion in Geneva, members of the UN committee received literature on the topic from the Israel Arab Minority Rights Center �Adalah� and from the �B�Tselem� group. This was confirmed by one of the heads of the Israeli section of the committee, Morton Kjaerum (Denmark). According to him, �if nongovernmental organizations produce hundreds of pages of literature, we can not ignore them�it is impossible to maintain that there is no basis for discussion�. Kjaerum added that �the UN committee will not tolerate discrimination�.
At the end of the 70�s, Israel joined the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. As a result, the Israeli government is obliged to present a report to the UN committee every two years. However, Israel�s last report was produced 9 years ago.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN�s Geneva headquarters, Itzhak Levanon, has noted that Israel will fully comply with the declaration�s requirements, and has not presented a report to the UN because Jerusalem prefers to present its situation as it occurs, in the form of oral reports, in front of the committee. Levanon pointed out to the UN that Israel has to continually search for a balance between security problems and respecting the rights of minorities.
Source: Izrailskie Novosti
