Israel announced on Thursday that it plans to run for a seat on the U.N. Security Council in 2019-2020, its first bid ever for one of the rotating seats on the council. U.N. diplomats said it would not be easy for the Jewish state to win. "We're going all out to win," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor told Reuters, adding that "it's about time" Israel served on the council. Winning a Security Council seat requires a two-thirds majority in the 193-nation General Assembly. Candidates are proposed by the five regional groups but election to the council is done by the full assembly. Prosor said Israel would be vying against Germany and Belgium for two seats allotted to the "Western European and Others Group." Technically Israel should be a member of the Asia-Pacific Group, as are the other states in the Middle East, but predominantly Muslim states blocked its admission to that group. In 2000, Israel was admitted to the Western European and Others Group, which includes the U.S., on a temporary basis. In 2004 its membership in that group was permanently renewed. Israel has occasionally held posts as vice president of the U.N. General Assembly but it has never been a member of the Security Council, the most powerful and prestigious body at the United Nations with the authority to impose sanctions or authorize the use of military force to enforce its decisions. Securing a council seat will not be easy, U.N. diplomats say. Most members of the 120 non-aligned bloc of developing nations are either cool or openly hostile to Israel. General Assembly votes on issues related to Israel and the Palestinians are usually unfavorable for the Israelis. In November 2012, a General Assembly vote on a Palestinian bid to gain implicit recognition of statehood by upgrading its U.N. observer status to that of "non-member state" -- something the Israelis strongly opposed -- highlighted how isolated Israel can be at the United Nations. There were 138 votes in favor of the Palestinian request, 41 abstentions and only nine against. The 10 rotating Security Council members serve for two years at a time. Each year five rotating members are replaced. The five permanent veto-wielding members are the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China. General Assembly elections for next year's Security Council will be held on Oct. 17.
