Israel is the only UN member state that originated from a UN resolution, the only state that has had its right to exist questioned by another UN resolution, and the only member state that is ineligible for membership in the Security Council and other UN bodies. Only one-tenth of 1 percent of mankind, Israel has been the subject of 40 percent of the votes in UN General Assembly in recent years. The UN Commission on Human Rights devotes significantly more hours of debate and resolutions to Israel than to any other state.

Although the UN charter rests on the premise of the “sovereign equality” of all states, one state is treated differently at the United Nations than the others. Why is Israel so special? And how does Israel’s special treatment affect Israel itself, the Middle East, and the United Nations?

Experts will discuss this subject--one made all the more timely by the recent actions of the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly.