Israel and the Western European and Others Group

This leaked cable from Madrid outline's Spain's 2004 opposition to granting Israel permanent status in the Western European and Others Group within the United Nations. The classified cable notes that while Spain is willing to support Israel's entry to the New York offices at the United States' request, the overarching European policy was set at a resounding "no." The main objection from European states stemmed from Israel's history of ignoring their recommendation, particularly on human rights. Originally, Israel was granted membership on a temporary basis only to compensate for the nation's inability to join the WSOG's Asian counterpart due to the opposition of Arab states.

Questions:

• Is Israel a western state? Does it deserve entry into the predominantly western WSOG voting group?
• Do Spain and the rest of Europe have a reasonable objection to Israel's inclusion in WSOG's non-New York offices (such as Geneva - which handles human rights issues)?