Israeli Knesset granted observer status

Israel was the first non-European country to be granted observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly, giving delegates from the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, the right to attend but not to vote at sessions. Since then Canada (1997) and Mexico (1999) have become observers. Austria and Switzerland had observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly before becoming fully-fledged Council of Europe member states, from 1951 to 1965 and from 1961 to 1963 respectively.

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