In first, Israeli official elected to UN oversight committee with support of 134 countries

In an unprecedented move, an Israeli official was elected over the weekend to serve on the United Nations General Assembly’s Independent Audit Advisory Committee, securing 134 votes despite heightened diplomatic tensions between Israel and the international body.

Shay Mizrahi, an attorney who is director of the Division for Local Government Auditing and Political Party Financing at the State Comptroller’s Office, was elected to a three-year term, becoming the first Israeli to serve on the committee since its establishment in 2007, according to a press release from the State Comptroller’s Office.

The five-member committee advises the General Assembly on the effectiveness of the UN’s internal oversight mechanisms, including auditing, risk management, financial controls and governance.

Mizrahi ran as a candidate of the UN’s Western European and Others Group, which had previously been represented on the committee only by American candidates. In recent weeks, Israel’s UN mission, led by Ambassador Danny Danon, worked to secure additional international support for his candidacy from friendly countries, according to the mission.

The appointment comes amid a nadir in Israel-UN ties, with Israeli officials regularly accusing the body of disproportionately targeting and seeking to isolate the Jewish state, particularly since the outbreak of the 2023 war against Hamas in Gaza.

Mizrahi’s appointment “is an important achievement for the State of Israel and for our diplomatic efforts on the international stage. At a time when Israel faces repeated attempts at exclusion and delegitimization within UN institutions, this appointment demonstrates that Israeli professionalism, experience, and excellence continue to earn international recognition and appreciation,” Danon says in a statement.