In a statement to Tel Aviv Tribune, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, warned the UN Security Council of the threat posed by the situation in the Gaza Strip to international peace and security, and said that the Secretary-General of the United Nations is determined to continue efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
He revealed that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, will address the Security Council before the end of the week regarding the initiative he launched, noting that discussions are taking place now on the issue, “but we do not control their actions so that we expect a specific time to respond to the Secretary-General’s call.”
He also confirmed that the UAE has developed a draft resolution that will be discussed and voted on by the UN Security Council.
Guterres had sent an unprecedented message to the Security Council regarding the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, warning of its dangers on a global level. He also warned that public order in the Strip was about to collapse completely.
The Secretary-General relied on the rarely used Article 99 of the Founding Charter of the United Nations, which authorizes him to “draw the attention of the Security Council to any matter that he considers may threaten the protection of international peace and security.”
Dujarric expressed his hope that the step taken by Guterres would push members of the Security Council and the international community to live up to their responsibility and avoid a serious humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Regarding whether there is realism in the possibility of the Security Council responding to what Guterres proposed, he said, “The Secretary-General is determined to continue efforts to reach a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons,” and added, “Human suffering must stop and killing must stop.”
If there is an attempt by any party to obstruct the Secretary-General’s move, the UN official noted that the authority possessed by the Security Council is clear, and the Secretary-General has no voice, indicating that the Security Council faces challenges in order to obtain a unanimous decision on calling for a ceasefire for reasons Humanity.
Regarding the United States’ position in support of Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip, he said, “We understand that members have different points of view and things they should take into consideration… We are realistic and the Secretary-General is determined to continue these efforts.”
Regarding the statement of Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, in which he said, “Guterres’ mandate is a threat to world peace, and what he did was support for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), killing civilians, kidnapping children, and assaulting women,” the UN official avoided responding and merely said: “The Secretary The General Assembly of the United Nations stands on the side of stopping the killing, condemning terrorism, and stopping the suffering, and it stands on the side of peace, reconciliation and reconciliation.”
Attempt to obstruct
On the other hand, the academic and expert on Israeli affairs, Dr. Muhammad Halsa – during the daily analytical pause on Tel Aviv Tribune channel “Gaza…what next?” – downplayed the importance of the step taken by the Secretary-General, because Israel – according to him – does not implement international resolutions and its position. This was expressed by its Foreign Minister, who said that the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations himself equated the killer with the murdered in his speech.
It is noteworthy that the UN official, in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune, said that the UN Secretary-General is determined to continue his efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian reasons, as there are “15,000 dead and more than 40,000 wounded Palestinians in Gaza, and more than a thousand Israelis were killed in an attack.” Hamas on October 7th.
For his part, the senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Tribune Center for Studies, Dr. Liqaa Makki, appreciated Guterres’ use of Article 99, considering it a strong push that puts the world before a moral truth for the first time in the history of the United Nations, and will disturb the United States and Israel.
Makki did not rule out that Washington would resort to trying to obstruct decision-making on the step.