Official says Israel accepted into OECD

Published today (updated) 10/05/2010 16:39

 Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies -

A senior Israeli diplomat said Monday that Israel has been admitted into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, news agencies reported.

Israeli Foreign Ministry official Uri Gutman told the Associated Press that he was informed that the 31-member organization voted in favor of Israel's membership and a formal announcement is expected at the OECD's Paris headquarters later Monday.

Palestinian officials, citizens of OECD members and prominent figures lobbied against Israel's membership, while others called on the organization to delay the vote on Israel's acceptance or place pre-conditions in the country's ascension based on its failure to meet basic trade and cooperation standards with Palestinians.

Gutman said the approval is confirmation of Israel's economic accomplishments, the AP wrote.

Opponents point out legal issues surrounding Israel's application, which began in 2007, including the inclusion of illegal West Bank settlement statistics in Israel's economic profile, the discrepancy in wages between Jewish and Palestinian citizens in Israel, and the economic blockade imposed on Gaza.

Avi Shlaim, an Oxford professor and historian, and Simon Mohun, a political economics professor at the University of London have called on the OECD to make Israeli accession conditional on tangible improvements in its human rights record and a commitment to embark on a credible peace process, the British daily the Guardian reported.

Israeli media reported that Foreign Ministry officials earlier said Palestinian officials had intensified their efforts to keep Israel out of the organization in recent days, saying that Israel infringes on Palestinians' human rights and violates OECD values, the Israeli daily Haaretz wrote.

Israel says Prime Minister Salem Fayyad called many of the leaders of OECD countries over the past day to argue against Israel's acceptance. One of the Palestinian arguments is that Israel provided false financial data by not separating out the data related to the settlements.

On Sunday, public figures launched an urgent appeal to OECD member countries, demanding a stay in the organization's vote on Israel's membership.

Signatories included prominent Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, 1976 Northern Ireland Nobel Prize for Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, former South African Special Rapporteur of UN on Palestine John Dugard and former Italian vice-President of the European Parliament Luisa Morgantini, who called for a delay in the process until Israel fulfills its obligations toward the Palestinians under international law and abides fully with OECD principles and benchmarks.

"OECD’s mission includes promotion of world trade and economic development," the statement said, noting that "Israel allows only 81 items into Gaza, while Palestinians are not allowed to export their produce."

The document said the "inhumane policy defies logic, not to mention basic moral principles, and makes us wonder how an organization like OECD would find it acceptable for a state that has contributed to the ‘de-development’ of a whole people to join it as a member."