Great! The more international organisations of this nature Israel is able to join, the better. Not just for the obvious benefits to Israel (and other members, of course), but because it helps to hold a mirror up to aspects of Israeli society and policy that are outside the norm. That unwelcome attention will hopefully lead to Israel cleaning up its act in order to gain membership. I’m thinking here of ongoing efforts to settle the West Bank/Judea and Samaria, inequitable affirmative action favouring the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) minority, and the unequal treatment of religions and religious denominations due to Israel’s domination by the religiously Orthodox. Even if Israel tries and fails to achieve membership of supra-national organisations such as the EU and NATO, the effort to meet membership criteria could totally transform the Israeli political and social landscape in a positive way.
in reference to: Steinitz: Most OECD countries support Israel's membership - Israel Business, Ynetnews (view on Google Sidewiki)
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