Israelis' seat on hold in ITU, upheld in UN

The International Telecommunications Union remained deadlocked Thursday on an Arab resolution to expel Israel - a move that would lead to a US withdrawal from the union.

After a 48-hour delay, further discussion was scheduled Thursday, and delegates predicted heated debate between supporters of a European compromise and the 19 Arab and African backers of expulsion.

At the United Nations, Monitor correspondent Louis Wiznitzer reports that Arab countries ended their efforts to expel Israel from the General Assembly. Privately, almost all Arab representatives were against the expulsion - because it could undermine current Arab efforts to settle the Palestinian question and because it could wreck the UN (due to the US threat to walk out of the Assembly and suspend its annual UN contributions).