Statement by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on Israel’s Admittance into WEOG in Geneva
United States Mission to the United Nations
December 2, 2013
For far too long Israel has been unfairly excluded from regional bodies at the United Nations. I applaud the decision to admit Israel into the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) at the UN in Geneva beginning January 1, 2014, providing Israel membership into one of the regional bodies that shape policy and determine leadership posts in UN fora.
This long-overdue decision brings Geneva in line with the decision to admit Israel into WEOG in New York in 2000, which continues to pay dividends more than a decade later, as well as more recent efforts by this Administration to more fully normalize Israel’s treatment across the UN system.
As President Obama has made clear, the United States opposes effort to undermine Israel’s legitimacy as a full and equal member of the community of nations, and will continue to work vigorously to end structural discrimination against Israel throughout the UN system.