Israel is considering whether to withdraw its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council that it had hoped to secure for the first time this June, after majority of European countries rejected its candidacy, according to diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv.
Israeli government had been hoping the new US administration led by President Donald Trump and the US ambassador Nikki Haley will increase its chances in securing the seat.
Europe objected the proposal and intends to nominate Germany or Belgium.
Elections at UN’s bodies are done according to regional affiliations. Between 1949 and 2000, Israel belonged to the “Asia-Pacific Group”, where an Arab majority automatically opposed any effort on Israel’s behalf to serving on the council.
In 2000, the UN agreed to shift Israel into the “Western Europe and Other Group”, allowing it to contend for one of the two spots reserved on the council for the bloc. Back then, European countries promised the Prime Minister Ehud Barak that Israel will be elected later for the membership of the council in the name of this group, especially after he promised to achieve peace with Palestinians.
Security Council has five permanent members and ten temporary members that are replaced every two years.
In order to win a seat on the influential council, a nation must get the support of two-thirds of the UN General Assembly. Israel's group include 28 countries and is represented currently by Sweden and Holland, whose memberships end in 2018.
Currently, three countries are competing for the two seats: Germany, Belgium, and Israel. These countries rejected diplomatic efforts by Israeli representatives asking that they withdraw their candidacy.
To win a seat, a country must receive at least two-thirds of the votes in the UN General Assembly, but it is known that most UN members reject attempts to promote Israel for its policies and activities against Palestinians.
Elections are set to take place next June and Israeli government backed by the US administration began a campaign to increase its chances. However, their attempts were futile and officials at Israeli foreign ministry admit that their chances are low and there is not enough time left to achieve their goal.
Although Israel has not officially announced its withdrawal, it is aware that its chances of winning the seat are low.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet finalized his decision on the matter, but the Foreign Ministry has expressed a wish to quit the race because of the improbability of a win, according to a senior official familiar with the matter.
