Israeli appointed to senior position in UN

United Nations names David Scharia as legal coordinator for the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), making him the only Israeli to serve in top security position in UN Secretariat

Ynet |Published: 07.18.12 , 07:27

The United Nations has appointed David Scharia as the legal coordinator for the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) – the Security Council anti-terror group – making him the only Israeli national serving in a senior security position within the UN Secretariat, Israeli and UN officials said Tuesday.

David Scharia will oversee a team of 12 international legal experts who advise the 15-nation Security Council on its counterterrorism efforts.

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“I am very proud to welcome a very talented Israeli into the UN’s senior ranks,” said Ron Prosor, Israel’s UN ambassador. “One of my priorities is to bring many more bright minds from the Holy Land into the UN’s halls, where Israelis have long been underrepresented.”

Scharia, 43, has serves as one of the CTED's legal experts for the past six years. Previously, he the served as a senior deputy in the Supreme Court Division of the Israeli Attorney General. Scharia also served as head of the Counter Terrorism internal investigations unit in the Ministry of Justice and as chairman of the Inter-ministerial Counter Terrorism Committee. He began his career at United Nations in 2005 as a legal adviser to the Security Council’s counterterrorism executive directorate.

The Washington Post on Tuesday noted that "the appointment would not typically be notable were it not so uncommon for Israelis to reach the upper levels at the United Nations. The organization helped give birth to Israel, but the recent history between the country and the UN has been contentious.

"Of the more than 44,000 international employees within the United Nations, only 124 are Israeli, according to the UN None serves in the top ranks of the most sensitive political jobs, which are responsible for maintaining international security, mediating peace deals and coordinating humanitarian assistance."