United Nations Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres says the Safety Council is an “outdated,” “unfair” and “ineffective system” whose failure to place an finish to Israel’s battle on Gaza has broken the credibility of the organisation as an entire.
Chatting with Al Jazeera Arabic in an unique interview, the UN chief decried the failures of the council, which was established within the aftermath of World Conflict II to make sure worldwide peace and safety however whose everlasting members’ veto energy has constantly confirmed to be an impediment to that purpose.
The council, Guterres mentioned, “doesn’t correspond to the world of today”.
“The truth is that the Security Council has systematically failed in relation to the capacity to put an end to the most dramatic conflicts that we face today: Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine.”
‘A severe handicap’
Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal who has helmed the UN since 2017, pressured that the organisation’s different our bodies and significantly its humanitarian companies have continued to ship important companies to Palestinians all through Israel’s greater than 11-month assault on Gaza. However he famous that the council’s political failure to carry an finish to the battle has harm the UN’s different our bodies.
“The UN is not the Security Council,” Guterres mentioned. However he acknowledged that UN employees within the discipline — and significantly these from the UN Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza — “suffer from the fact that the people look at them and think, ‘Well, but the Security Council has failed us.’”
“For us, this failure of the Security Council is a severe handicap for our work in the field,” he added.
‘UNRWA remains the backbone’
Guterres nodded to the 200 UNRWA employees killed by Israeli forces in Gaza for the reason that starting of the battle and pointed to a latest survey exhibiting recognition for the company’s efforts among the many Palestinians it’s reaching. He additionally expressed reduction that after the company got here below assault early this 12 months when Israel accused members of its employees of hyperlinks to “terrorism“, main a number of nations to withhold funding, the company’s credibility appeared to have been restored.
“Many countries that in the beginning hesitated and suspended the support to UNRWA have come back, helping UNRWA deliver,” he mentioned. “UNRWA remains the backbone of humanitarian support to the people of Gaza.”
Nonetheless, he condemned the fixed challenges Israel continues to pose to that work.
“When conditions are made for them to work, like in relation to polio, they immediately are very effective,” Guterres mentioned. “If the same conditions would be given to our support in relation to all other aspects of humanitarian action, if we hadn’t had the obstacles, the harassment, the problems, the difficulties that Israel has been systematically creating to the acts of UN humanitarian agencies, in particular to UNRWA, we’ll be able to do much more. And the people do need much more.”
‘No accountability’
Within the interview, Guterres additionally blamed the world’s “major powers” for fostering the tradition of impunity on show in Gaza.
Whilst he expressed confidence within the work of the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice and Worldwide Prison Courtroom, Guterres mentioned, “We live in an environment of total impunity.”
“Everybody does what everybody wants,” he added. “The geopolitical divide that exists among the major powers has created a situation in which any country or any movement anywhere in the world feels that they can do whatever they want because there will be no punishment, there will be no accountability.”
He additionally mentioned the US ought to put extra stress on Israel to finish its assault on Gaza.
“It’s important to put pressure on the United States in order to make sure that the United States puts pressure on Israel — as they are supporting Israel — put pressure on Israel to stop the war and at the same time to recognise that the two-state solution must not be undermined.”
“We have been asking the United States to be much more strong in relation to Israel,” he added.
‘The occupation is not legal’
Guterres additionally mentioned the continuing growth of Israeli settlements and outposts within the occupied West Financial institution, that are unlawful below worldwide legislation.
“We must absolutely reject any prospective annexation of the West Bank,” he mentioned. “The West Bank, together with Gaza and East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank, must be the state of Palestine in the future.”
“One of the most concerning things we have at the present moment is to see the systematic policy of many in the Israeli government that try to undermine the two-state solution, exactly by evictions, settlements, grabbing land and other actions in the West Bank, which are, of course, totally against international law,” he added.
“There is an opinion of the International Court of Justice. The opinion is clear: This is an occupation, and the occupation is not legal.”
