Israel stymies Palestinian attempts to join Interpol
An elated Prime Minister Netanyahu attributes success in staving off Palestinian efforts—which would have granted authority to issue international arrest warrants and provided access to key terror-related information—to Israel's 'improved international standing.'
Sixty-two nations voted against the proposal, which included applications from the Palestinians, Kosovo and Solomon Islands, while 57 voted in favor and 37 abstained.
Confirmation of the rejection came after Interpol issued a statement, according to which "all current and future applications for membership including those from the Republic of Kosovo, the State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands have been suspended."
The Palestinians submitted their application during the biennial assembly of the organization which is taking place this week in the Indonesian Island of Bali.
Gathering wind of the attempt, Israel launched a swift campaign to block the move which included a wave of international meetings designed to convince leaders to refrain from inaugurating the Palestinians into the organization.
While Israel also accused the Palestinians of politicizing Interpol Jerusalem’s primary concern over Palestinian membership flows from diplomatic crises which could arise as a result since Interpol’s activities enable the exchange of information and grant it the right to engage in a series of other activities which could be detrimental to Israel.
Intelligence exchanges, for example, touch on the most sensitive matters for Israel including counterterrorism, cyber, organized crime, arms trade and human trafficking, among others.
Israel has charged therefore that Palestinian entry into Interpol would enable them access to databases containing key information about terror and crime and even enable them to issue international arrest warrants against criminals.
In a joint statement by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israeli Police, Israel attributed its success in staving off what it considers a diplomatic offensive to its “intensive global effort to thwart the Palestinian initiative over the last few weeks."
