Israeli officials today announced that the Jewish state had gained membership in two international organizations, one focused on democratic norms and the other emphasizing trade liberalization, with the country’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, shooting down reports of the Jewish state’s international isolation:

“Next time you hear reports of diplomatic isolation or a wave of boycotts threatening Israel, know that the reality is very different,” he wrote on his Facebook page, announcing Israel’s membership in a UN grouping known as JUSCANZ and the observer status it gained in the Pacific Alliance in Latin America.

“Israel continues and will continue to be a leading nation with the best minds in the world, and we will continue to strengthen and improve our relations with the international community,” he wrote.

Israel formally joined deliberations with JUSCANZ, a 15-nation consultative grouping of non-European Union democracies linked to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, upping its standing in the body and redressing what Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor described as a “historic wrong.” Prosor contextualized the decision as evidence “of the international respect for Israel democracy.” The U.S. and Canada were reportedly critical in securing Israel’s admission, and the Jerusalem Post noted that it came two months after Jerusalem was also admitted to the U.N.’s Western European and Others Group.

Lieberman also announced that Israel had been granted observer status in the Pacific Alliance, a bloc of five Latin American member states – Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico – focused specifically on generating growth via policies promoting trade liberalization. The ascension will allow Jerusalem to take part in the alliance’s staff work and attend its conferences. Israel is the first Middle Eastern country to secure the status.

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