BICOM

The UN Secretary General is thought to be considering a former Israeli Foreign Minister for a senior UN role, following the nomination of a former Palestinian Prime Minister last week.

According to Haaretz, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has met former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni twice in New York over the past three weeks. Though some reports have alleged that an offer for a senior position at the UN was made over the phone yesterday, Livni’s office confirmed that “no official offer has been received”.

Her appointment would be reciprocal to the nomination of former Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to the UN Security Council (UNSC).

On Wednesday, Guterres informed the UNSC of his intention to name Fayyad as the new UN envoy to Libya, only to have the United States block the appointment on Saturday.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley referred to “the signal this appointment would send within the United Nations” in a statement explaining the US rejection of the nomination.

She continued: “For too long, the UN has been unfairly biased in favour of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel.”

Defending the choice of Fayyad, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the selection “was solely based on Mr Fayyad’s recognized personal qualities and his competence for that position”.

At a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the time has come for positions and appointments to be made to the Israeli side as well [as Fayyad],” and he stressed the need “for reciprocity” if any Palestinian appointment is made.

The Secretary General requires the unanimous backing of all 15 Security Council members for appointments of his special representatives to conflict areas.