Israel Names First Woman as U.N. Ambassador

9/16/2008

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The United Nations General Assembly is set to begin its 63rd annual session later this month in New York. Leading the Israeli delegation is Gabriela Shalev, the Jewish state’s first female ambassador to the United Nations. Shalev replaces Dan Gillerman, who served in the post since 2003.

“As a woman, a professor and above all as a proud Israeli, I am happy for the opportunity given me to contribute to the state in the complex international arena of the U.N.,” Shalev said in a statement. “With the help of a small but high-quality delegation, I will work on a wide spectrum of issues in the fields of technological development, science and agriculture, and the rights of women and children, while at the same time caring for political and security issues.”

Shalev indicated that her two top priorities are blocking the Iranian nuclear program and disarming Hizballah under the terms of Security Council Resolution 1701. However, she is expected to be confronted with a litany of anti-Israel resolutions in the General Assembly, which has historically been a forum for such activity. In advance of the opening session, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon assured Shalev, “Israel will receive fair treatment in the U.N. as a country like any other.”

For the fourth year in a row, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the General Assembly. Shortly after his first appearance in 2005, Ahmadinejad said that somebody in the audience told him he was “surrounded by a divine halo” and that the attention of all the world’s leaders was focused on him. He also claimed that those attending did not blink during his entire speech.

This year, Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the assembly on the same day as President Bush.  •NER•

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