(October 15, 2024)
One rogue nation cannot declare war on the UN itself and continue to get away with it
Archiv: 28-10-2024 ban of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Israel and its occupation zone
As Israel’s UNRWA Ban Kicks In, the UN Boss Must Be Ready for Day After
This contradictory approach has led to what one senior UN official described as “a train crash waiting to happen.” The suffering of the Palestinian population, particularly in Gaza, will increase dramatically as UNRWA, the backbone of the humanitarian operation, crumbles without an alternative structure in place. The educational and health sector in the West Bank will also fall into dire straits, with no viable alternatives available.
As part of Israel’s expulsion of UNRWA from its East Jerusalem headquarters on Jan. 30, the government will most likely confiscate the agency’s buildings and transform the site into a Jewish settlement, blatantly violating international law.
Israel orders Unrwa out of Jerusalem as crackdown on agency continues
Israel has ordered the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) to shut down its operations in Jerusalem and vacate all premises by 30 January, according to a letter sent by Israel’s envoy to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres on Friday.
Israel will Palästinenserhilfswerk UNRWA aus Jerusalem vertreiben
Israel hat das UN-Palästinenserhilfswerk UNRWA aufgefordert, seine Arbeit in Jerusalem bis zum 30. Januar einzustellen und die Stadt zu verlassen. UNRWA sei „verpflichtet, seine Tätigkeit in Jerusalem einzustellen und alle Räumlichkeiten, in denen es in der Stadt tätig ist, bis spätestens 30. Januar 2025 zu räumen“, forderte der israelische UN-Botschafter Danny Danon in einem Brief an UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres. Das Schreiben lag der Deutschen Presse-Agentur vor.
A Movement to Suspend Israel From the UN Needs a Country to Take the Lead
(August 28, 2024)
Saleh Hijazi, a BNC adviser on apartheid-free policy, said he expected calls for Israel’s suspension to intensify next month with the opening of the 79th session of the General Assembly. UNGA, as it is known, begins on Sept. 10.
Charter Chapter XIV: The International Renewal Court of Justice
Article 96
(1) The General Assembly, the Governing Council or the Security Council may request the International Renewal Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on any legal question.
(2) Other organs of the Renewed United Nations and specialised agencies, which may at any time be so authorised by the Governing Council or by the General Assembly, may also request advisory opinions of the Court on legal questions arising within the scope of their activities.
CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 13 February 1946
SECTION 30. All differences arising out of the interpretation or application of the present convention shall be referred to the International Court of Justice, unless in any case it is agreed by the parties to have recourse to another mode of settlement. If a difference arises between the United Nations on the one hand and a Member on the other hand, a request shall be made for an advisory opinion on any legal question involved in accordance with Article 96 of the Charter and Article 65 of the Statute of the Court. The opinion given by the Court shall be accepted as decisive by the parties.
Israel is a rogue nation. It should be removed from the United Nations
(October 15, 2024)
One rogue nation cannot declare war on the UN itself and continue to get away with it
After Another US Security Council Veto, UN General Assembly Votes for Gaza Cease-Fire
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) subsequently voted 158-9, with 13 abstentions, for a resolution demanding „an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, to be respected by all parties,“ and calling for the „immediate and unconditional release of all hostages“ held by Hamas.
The nine countries that opposed the measure are the United States, Israel, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga.
In a separate vote Wednesday, 159 UNGA members voted in favor of a resolution affirming the body‘s „full support“ for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
UN General Assembly demands ceasefire in Gaza and backs UN agency helping Palestinian refugees
Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions. Other opposing both resolutions included Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay and Tonga.
While Security Council resolutions are legally binding, General Assembly resolutions are not, though they do reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly.
UN Palestine Expert: Israel Should Be Removed From UN Over UNRWA Attacks
(December 6, 2024)
The UN’s top independent expert on Palestinian human rights has repeated a call for Israel to be removed from its membership in the United Nations, citing its “relentless attacks” against the institution’s top aid group for Palestinian refugees.
On Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese said on social media that Israel should be unseated, echoing calls from numerous international law experts and advocates for Palestinian rights.
Francesca Albanese: ICC should seek more arrest warrants for Israeli leaders
„There should be more in the dock, in my view. And it‘s taking ages. This is because the political pressure on the international justice system is extreme.
„And we see pressure on the prosecutor, pressure on the judges. Israel is trying to obstruct it by moving exceptions against the independence of the judges. And the US is making pressure through open threats,“ she added.
According to Albanese, the failure to issue arrest warrants is putting international justice on the edge.
„We might lose what we have, what we have built. Multilateralism is on the edge, and international law is on a knife‘s edge.
„It‘s about us, all of us students, doctors, professors, journalists, ordinary people in the street to protect it if our elected government officials don‘t do that.“
‚International law is on a knife‘s edge‘ | Francesca Albanese | One on One
In this episode of One on One, journalist and news editor Sondos Asem is sitting down with Francesca Albanese, an outspoken international human rights lawyer and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. She is the 8th person to hold that role, and the first woman.
She is a self-described “reluctant chronicler of Genocide”, as she has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza since 7 October. Within the past year, she has submitted two reports to the UN human rights council, where she outlined her legal opinion on why the attacks on the Palestinian population constitute genocide.
Middle East Eye spoke to her on 13 November, during her visit to London, where she was invited to speak at several university campuses.
A Movement to Suspend Israel From the UN Needs a Country to Take the Lead
(August 28, 2024)
Saleh Hijazi, a BNC adviser on apartheid-free policy, said he expected calls for Israel’s suspension to intensify next month with the opening of the 79th session of the General Assembly. UNGA, as it is known, begins on Sept. 10.
(The Palestinian delegation at the UN said on Aug. 22 that it was also planning to soon initiate an “actionable resolution” in the General Assembly, “demanding within a time frame the end of this illegal occupation and all other issues contained” in the ICJ advisory opinion.)
Could Israel‘s Unrwa ban lead to its suspension from the UN?
(October 29, 2024)
Bjorge said the legislation is “an outrage” against a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, and that the latter must “do everything within its capacity” to protect Unrwa.
“In the face of such an outrage against it, the UN must lose no time in taking action,” he said.
“It should request the International Court of Justice for an urgent advisory opinion, which under the General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities will be binding on Israel and on the United Nations itself.”
Israel is a rogue nation. It should be removed from the United Nations
(October 15, 2024)
One rogue nation cannot declare war on the UN itself and continue to get away with it
Israel is a rogue nation. It should be removed from the United Nations
(October 15, 2024)
One rogue nation cannot declare war on the UN itself and continue to get away with it
Indonesian parliament asks UN to revoke Israel membership
The Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) has urged the United Nations to revoke Israel‘s membership over Tel Aviv‘s military maneuvers that have claimed many victims.
„Expel Israel from the UN because the genocide carried out by the Israeli military continues, and more and more victims are falling,“ the committee‘s chairperson, Mardani Ali Sera, said in a statement released on Thursday.
A summit to nowhere
After silently watching Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza for the past one year, the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries have once more met in Riyadh to discuss the escalating conflict.
The so-called international alliance conceived by Saudi Arabia, with its aim of pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state, failed to formulate a concrete plan of action to stop the Israeli invasion that has been extended to Lebanon.
Resolution Issued by the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit
18- To start working to mobilize international support to suspend Israel‘s participation in the United Nations General Assembly and all its affiliated entities, in preparation for submitting a joint draft resolution to the General Assembly – the tenth special session (Uniting for Peace), on the basis of its violations of the United Nations Charter, its threat to international peace and security, and its failure to fulfill its membership in the United Nations and based on the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024.
19- To call on all countries to ban the export or transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel; urging countries to join the initiative proposed by the Republic of Turkey and the core group consisting of (18) countries, which was signed by (52) countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, and to send a joint letter to the UN Security Council, the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General to halt the provision of arms to Israel, and to invite all countries to sign it.
Arab, Islamic leaders call for suspension of Israel‘s UN membership
He reminded the attendees that, despite ongoing regional conflicts, the UN has never revisited Israel‘s 1949 admission under Resolution 181.
“Today, the Islamic group and the Arab group are two organisations moving before the international community, and I am confident that there are many countries that will support the idea of freezing membership,” he added expressing optimism that the proposal would garner widespread backing.
Arab and Islamic leaders urge UN membership freeze for Israel
During a summit in Riyadh, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit highlighted the importance of the proposed action to freeze Israel‘s UN membership. He described it as a “major step” toward addressing longstanding grievances. “There is a paragraph in this text that I find very important and vital, a paragraph that talks about moving before the General Assembly to freeze Israel‘s membership,” Aboul Gheit stated. He pointed out that Israel‘s initial admission to the UN in 1949 had been under Resolution 181, a decision that many now view as overdue for reconsideration.
Riyadh Summit Denounces Israel’s Genocide, Calls for Global Arms Embargo to Israel
Central to the statement was a call on the United Nations Security Council to enact (..)
Arab and Islamic leaders also demanded a global embargo on arms exports and transfers to Israel, (…)
Highlighting Saudi Arabia’s leadership role in uniting Arab and Muslim voices, the statement also called for broader international protection and support for the Palestinian people and the State of Palestine.
Anwar calls for world consensus to expel Israel from UN
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on the world community to build a consensus on suspending or even expelling Israel from the United Nations (UN).
Delivering the national statement at the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday (Nov 11), Anwar reiterated that Israel has gone beyond reason and humanity itself in its vile and blatant perpetration of the genocide of the people of Palestine.
Iran pushes for Israel’s expulsion from UN and full arms embargo at Riyadh summit
He stated that these actions, alongside what he views as continuous aggression, warrant Israel‘s expulsion from the UN.
Gharibabadi concluded his remarks by calling for the reactivation of the UN‘s apartheid committee to address Israel’s systemic violations of international law and its expansion of conflicts across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
PM Anwar to address Israeli violence, Middle East tensions in meeting with Lebanese PM, Kuwaiti Crown Prince in Riyadh
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to hold a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati, and Kuwait’s Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this afternoon.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting will take place before the Extraordinary Summit of the Arab-Islamic States in the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Iran-initiated OIC-Arab League meeting aimed at ending Palestine, Lebanon crises: Vice president
“We hope to obtain valuable achievements in the field of providing aid to the displaced and victims of the Zionist regime’s attacks and crimes. Accordingly, we will enter the third stage of the measures. Iran as well as all Muslim and Arab states aim to secure a durable ceasefire in the region,” he underscored.
At the summit, Iranian delegates will present their viewpoints on the core issues affecting Palestine and Lebanon and emphasize the urgent need to end the war in West Asia, Aref stated.
Arab League‘s Assistant Secretary-General to QNA: Arab-Islamic Summit Aims to Come Up with Unified Vision to Stop Aggression on Gaza, Lebanon
His Excellency indicated that the summit will hold Israel fully responsible for what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon, in light of its violation of international law and international humanitarian law, while stressing that just peace and affirming the two-state solution in accordance with the political initiative launched by Saudi Arabia for the international coalition to implement the two-state solution, is the best option for settling the conflict in the Middle East and ensuring security and stability for all peoples of the region and protecting them from violence and wars, especially with the international recognition of Palestine by 149 countries, and support for its right to obtain full membership in the United Nations.
Charter Chapter XIV: The International Renewal Court of Justice
Article 96
(1) The General Assembly, the Governing Council or the Security Council may request the International Renewal Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on any legal question.
(2) Other organs of the Renewed United Nations and specialised agencies, which may at any time be so authorised by the Governing Council or by the General Assembly, may also request advisory opinions of the Court on legal questions arising within the scope of their activities.
CONVENTION ON THE PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 13 February 1946
SECTION 30. All differences arising out of the interpretation or application of the present convention shall be referred to the International Court of Justice, unless in any case it is agreed by the parties to have recourse to another mode of settlement. If a difference arises between the United Nations on the one hand and a Member on the other hand, a request shall be made for an advisory opinion on any legal question involved in accordance with Article 96 of the Charter and Article 65 of the Statute of the Court. The opinion given by the Court shall be accepted as decisive by the parties.
Arab and Muslim leaders meet in Saudi to discuss Gaza, Lebanon wars
This summit follows a similar one held a year ago in Riyadh, where leaders from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned Israeli military actions in Gaza as “barbaric.”
Arab, Muslim leaders fly to Saudi for talks on Mideast wars
The Saudi foreign ministry announced the summit in late October during the first meeting of an „international alliance“ pushing for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Malaysia prepares draft resolution to expel Israel from UN
(November 6, 2024)
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that Malaysia is preparing a draft resolution for the UN General Assembly to expel Israel from the United Nations.
“We are also studying (a proposal)… after the violation of laws, principles and UN decisions, for Israel to be expelled as a member of the UN,” Anwar told parliament in a special address on Monday.
Petition to the UN General Assembly: unseating Israel is the only way to preserve the integrity of the international legal system.
Israel systematically infringes its duties towards the UN repeatedly violating the protections afforded to UN bodies such as the UNRWA and UNIFIL. This includes causing the death of UN workers, and bombing UN facilities. Furthermore, it resolutely refuses to engage with UN Mechanisms by not allowing visits from the UN Secretary-General, UN Special Rapporteurs, and the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry, among others. Within the halls of the UN, Israel also repeatedly issues defamatory statements against the organisation. These actions reflect a complete disregard for UN systems and are in breach of international law.
Israel’s systematic denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and relentless appropriation of Palestinian land have led to a critical, historical juncture in which the Israeli state is pursuing genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians with ruthless, unprecedented force and determination. The very existence of the Palestinian people hinges on ending Israeli impunity and, at long last, realizing their right to control their own political, social, and economic destiny. Additionally, the gravity of the illegalities caused by Israel has raised serious questions about the legitimacy of the international legal system as a whole, threatening its continued integrity.
The General Assembly and its Member States can and must take meaningful action on both fronts —the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the integrity of the international legal system—without delay by unseating the Israeli government from the Assembly, in accordance with the Assembly’s authority to approve the credentials of Member State delegations.
Unseating a state government’s delegation is an exceptional action, but , in this case, it is grounded in precedent—specifically, the unseating of South Africa’s apartheid government from the General Assembly in 1974—and in law. Fifty years ago, the General Assembly exercised its authority under the credentialing rules to unseat South Africa’s delegation, concluding that the government was unrepresentative and therefore illegitimate due to its failure to provide representation to its indigenous Black population. Even though South Africa’s apartheid practices were central to this decision, the removal of the South African delegation was also implicitly grounded in the right of self-determination, which was denied to the country’s Black population by the very nature of apartheid.
As demonstrated by the ICJ’s July 19, 2024 advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the OPT, the case for unseating Israel’s government for lack of representativeness is just as strong as it was in the case of South Africa, if not stronger.
Why more than 500 scholars think Israel should be unseated from UN
)November 8, 2024)
More than 500 scholars and practitioners of international law, international relations, conflict studies, politics, and genocide studies have called on the UN General Assembly and its member states to unseat Israel from the assembly.
Time to suspend Israel from the UN
(November 6, 2024)
Israel‘s abrogation on Sunday of its 1967 agreement with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has intensified calls for Israel‘s expulsion from the world body or, at least, its suspension from General Assembly participation. This action followed the October 28th ban by Israel‘s parliament on UNRWA’s operations in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
By Criminalizing UNRWA, Israel Is Delegitimizing the United Nations
Israel‘s banning of UNRWA should represent an opportunity for those concerned about the standing of the United Nations, to remind Israel that U.N. members who have no respect for international law deserve to be delegitimized. This time, words must be accompanied by action. Nothing else will suffice.
Statement of UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the United Nations General Assembly
I have three urgent requests to prevent this devastating outcome:
First, I ask that Member States act to prevent the implementation of the legislation against UNRWA.
Changes to UNRWA’s mandate are the prerogative of the General Assembly, not individual Member States.
Second, I ask that Member States ensure that any plan for a political transition delineates UNRWA’s role.
The Agency must progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political solution, and hand over its services to an empowered Palestinian administration.
Finally, I ask that Member States maintain funding to UNRWA, and do not withhold or divert funds on the assumption that the Agency can no longer operate.
The cost of providing critical services, including education and healthcare, during a transition will be immense.
I must also alert Member States that abruptly dismantling the Agency will cost more than half a billion dollars in staff separation indemnities alone.
At General Assembly, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini urges Member States to defend UNRWA
(November 6, 2024)
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini addressed the UN General Assembly, describing a critical moment for the agency as new Israeli legislation threatens its operations. Lazzarini urged member states to oppose the legislation, support UNRWA’s continued operation, and ensure sustained funding to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
UNRWA urges UN General Assembly to protect agency to avoid ‘chaos’
(November 7, 2024)
“Without intervention by member states, UNRWA will collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos,” Philippe Lazzarini warned during a special session requested by Palestine after the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, passed on Monday two laws to ban the agency’s activity and any Israeli official’s contacts with it within three months.