6

(4) the Secretary of State should submit to

10

member states to accept Israel as a full member of

11

their regional bloc and describes the responses there

12

to from the member states.

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

TO H. RES. 615

OFFERED BY Ms. Ros-LEHTINEN

Strike the preamble and insert the following:

Whereas since the mid-1960s, the member states of the

United Nations have been divided into five regional
groups, including the Western European and Others
Group and the African, Asian, Latin American, and
Eastern European groups;

Whereas the United Nations increasingly relies on this

"Group System" to facilitate its work and two leading United Nations organs, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, have passed numerous resolutions granting this system a central role in United Nations elections;

Whereas Israel has been refused admission to the Asian

Group of the United Nations and is therefore denied the rights and privileges of full membership in the United Nations;

Whereas exclusion of Israel violates crucial principles of

the United Nations Charter, including the right of states to be treated in accordance with the principle of sovereign equality and the right to vote and participate fully in the United Nations General Assembly;

Whereas the Bureau of every United Nations conference

comprises one representative from each geographical region of the United Nations and Israel is therefore

H.L.C.

2

denied access to this vital apparatus enjoyed by other United Nations member states;

Whereas on May 30, 2000, Israel accepted an invitation

to become a temporary member of the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations;

Whereas Israel's membership in the Western European

and Others Group is limited and, as a temporary member, Israel is not allowed to compete for open seats or to run for positions in major bodies of the United Nations, such as the Security Council, or United Nations-affiliated agencies, such

the United Nations Commission on Human Rights;

as

Whereas Israel is only allowed to participate in limited

activities of the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations headquarters and is excluded from discussions and consultations of the Group at the United Nations offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome, and Vienna;

Whereas the Western European and Others Group in

cludes Canada, Australia, and the United States;

Whereas Israel is linked to Western European and Oth

ers Group member states by strong economic, political, and cultural ties;

Whereas the Western European and Others Group is the

only bloc which is not purely geographical but is rather composed solely of countries which share a Western democratic tradition; and

Whereas Israel is a free and democratic country and its

voting pattern in the United Nations is consistent with that of the Western European and Others Group member states: Now, therefore, be it

H.L.C.

3

Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the

following:

1

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives

2 that

3

(1) the President should direct the Secretary of

4

State and the United States Permanent Representa

5

tive to the United Nations to seek an immediate end

6

to the persistent and deplorable inequality experi

7

enced by Israel in the United Nations;

8

(2) United States interests would be well served

13

(3) consistent with section 405(a) of division C

14

of H.R. 1950, as passed the House of Representa

15

tives on July 16, 2003, “the Secretary of State and

22

(4) the Secretary of State should continue to

23

submit to Congress on a regular basis a report

Amend the title so as to read: “Resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of full membership of Israel in the Western European and Others Group at the United Nations.".