UAE Takes Seat as New Member of UN Security Council

The United Arab Emirates has taken its seat as a new member of the United Nations Security Council. It joined the council’s four other new members, Albania, Brazil, Gabon and Ghana, in ceremonies on Tuesday, after being elected to a two-year term in June. They participated in a flag installation ceremony that included speeches, a group photo, and the placing of the new members’ flags alongside the five permanent members and the other five members of the international body. The UAE last served on the council in the 1980s. There are some 50 countries that have never been elected to the body. The UN Security Council routinely issues condemnations against Israel. Israel reportedly has good relations with all of the new UNSC members, including the UAE with which Israel normalized relations under the Abraham Accords at the end of 2020. Outgoing member state Tunisia has been particularly critical of Israel. Israel has never been elected to the Security Council. The UAE mission to the UN tweeted ahead of taking its seat that “#StrongerUnited is the spirit that guides us in our work at home and around the world.”