United Nations' Structural Weaknesses: An Impediments to Peace in Palestine?
The issue of Palestine has long been a topic devoid of any ambiguity. For centuries, the land of Palestine has been inhabited by its rightful Muslim owners, until it fell victim to armed terrorists who drew upon legends from the Old Testament and ancient Jewish texts. The Zionist occupation of Palestine has resulted in the wanton destruction of countless towns, cities, and villages, as well as the tragic expulsion or massacre of over a million innocent and defenseless Arab civilians.
Consequently, the Palestinian issue has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges faced by the international community. Despite its consistent inclusion on the General Assembly and Security Council's agenda since the establishment of the United Nations, the Security Council has regrettably failed to bring an end to Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestine or to advocate for the basic rights of the millions of Palestinians, both within and outside their homeland. Even resolutions issued by the United Nations regarding the illegal settlements of the Israeli regime have failed to yield any preventive measures. Israel, undeterred, continues to construct settlements in the occupied West Bank and Bayt al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), as confirmed by former Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs, Ayelet Shaked.
The United Nations' weak performance is further exemplified by its inaction regarding the 17-year-long siege of the besieged Gaza Strip. Despite the Israeli regime's repeated utilization of illegal and unconventional weaponry, such as white phosphorus, and the imposition of severe sieges, the actions of the United Nations have not dissuaded the regime from committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In 2014, during the war between the Israeli regime and the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, the Security Council failed to fulfill its duties, despite the appalling crimes and savagery committed by the regime's army against the people of Gaza.
The pressing question arises: why has the United Nations been unable to take decisive action regarding the Palestinian issue, despite its apparent influential position? Primarily, this can be attributed to the unwavering support of the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, for the Israeli regime. This support contradicts international laws, as well as moral and humanitarian principles, significantly impacting the United Nations' stance against Israel's transgressions. The recent condemnation of the Palestinian resistance following the successful Operation Al-Aqsa Storm further underscores this flagrant bias.
In response to the crimes committed by the occupying Israeli regime, Palestinian resistance forces launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, firing over 5,000 rockets and missiles at the occupied territories. While the objective of this operation was to reclaim the violated rights of Palestinians, the United Nations' Special Coordinator for West Asian Affairs, Tor Wennesland, condemned the rocket attacks by the Palestinian resistance and called for restraint from both parties. The United Nations Security Council convened a closed-door session to issue a resolution and joint statement in response to the operation; however, due to a lack of consensus, no statement was published, drawing criticism from the United States as Tel Aviv's main ally.
The inefficiency of the United Nations to fulfill its duties, particularly concerning the Palestine question, underscores its structural weaknesses. It has proven incapable of providing a peaceful resolution to this protracted conflict, instead becoming an excuse for powerful western governments, namely the US and UK, to pursue their own nefarious agendas. The recent positions taken by the United Nations on the Palestinian issue once again highlight the Security Council's longstanding inaction and occasional support for Israel, which has emboldened the regime to continue its inhumane acts with impunity. This is evident in the tragic loss of approximately 100,000 Palestinian lives since 1948, as recently announced by the head of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
