Asst. Sec. Brimmer on the Obama Admin’s “Far-Reaching” Support for Israel at UN

Ariela Fleisig — June 15, 2011 – 3:41 pm | Barack Obama | Foreign Policy | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Assistant Secretary of State Esther Brimmer spoke today at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy about the United States’ far-reaching role in multilateral cooperation with Israel through the lens of the United Nations.

After reiterating the Obama Administration’s position that negotiations are the only way to achieve a two-state solution, Brimmer firmly restated the Obama Administration’s position on Palestinian unilateralism:

We have been frank that we reject counterproductive attempts to resolve permanent status issues at the UN.

She emphasized that the US has led Human Rights Council efforts to condemn and stop human rights abuses in Libya, Iran, Syria, and Yemen - four countries in Israel’s neighborhood. Brimmer stated:

We are continuing these efforts at the current session of the Council by working with a broad variety of states on joint statements on Syria and Yemen, and a resolution on Belarus. Much work still needs to be done at the Human Rights Council. We continue to protest the egregious permanent agenda item on Israel. But we have managed to use every opportunity to shift the focus of the debate at the Council addressing the most serious human rights abusers, rather than unfairly singling out Israel.

Brimmer spoke about the Obama Administration’s proactive measures to assert Israel’s legitimacy in UN bodies:

The United States is working with Israel to advance its positive multilateral engagement agenda, and move beyond the focus on contentious political and security issues, with the aim of addressing the issue of delegitimization and Israel’s treatment at the United Nations.

She cited successful support for appointing of Israelis to UN positions, passing Israeli-sponsored resolutions, gaining Israeli membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the JUSCANZ consulting body to the UN, removing some barriers to Israeli voting and consulting, and allowing Israel to cooperate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as specific examples of America’s assistance to Israel at the UN.

Brimmer also defended the Obama administration’s choice to remain paying UN dues and fulfilling treaty obligations. She said:

The United States cannot afford failed short-term tactics that have long-term implications for our security, and we must be a responsible global leader, and that means paying our bills.

Click here to read the full transcript of Brimmer’s speech.

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