Leaders of Arab and Islamic member states of the United Nations (UN) have pushed for a suspension of Israel’s membership in the United Nations – a move which is expected to intensify international pressure for a ceasefire over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Lebanon.
Reports describe the move as a ‘significant strategy’ which duly highlights the severity with which regional leaders view the escalation of violence in the Middle East.
The strategy, according to credible news sources was proposed at a recent UN summit in Riyadh by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit highlighted the importance of the proposed action to freeze Israel’s UN membership. He described it as a “major step” toward addressing longstanding grievances. “There is a paragraph in this text that I find very important and vital, a paragraph that talks about moving before the General Assembly to freeze Israel’s membership,” Aboul Gheit stated. He pointed out that Israel’s initial admission to the UN in 1949 had been under Resolution 181, a decision that many now view as overdue for reconsideration.
Aboul Gheit expressed confidence that a broad coalition of countries would support the effort and urged all nations to cease supply or transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel as they uphold a Turkish-led initiative, supported by 18 core countries and signed by 52 nations, alongside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League to put pressure on the international body’s security council. “Today, the Islamic group and the Arab group are two organizations moving before the international community, and I am confident that there are many countries that will support the idea of freezing membership,” he added.
