UN chief asks Security Council to declare ceasefire in Gaza under rarely invoked rule
The United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday called on the Security Council to declare an immediate and binding ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, invoking a rare and powerful tool from the UN Charter, known as Article 99.
This move was a dramatic step in Secretary General António Guterres’ drive to end the war, which he described in a letter to the Council as a humanitarian disaster that threatened international peace and security. It set up a showdown in the Council with the United States, which has opposed a permanent ceasefire and has a veto.
Article 99 gives the UN leader the power to recommend action to the Security Council, which has international authority to intervene in conflicts and issue legally binding resolutions.
The United Arab Emirates, a member of the council, said it had submitted a draft resolution for an emergency vote on a ceasefire. The Council is likely to convene an emergency meeting in the coming days to hold the vote.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic and virtually irreversible. We can not wait. The Council must act decisively to demand a humanitarian ceasefire,” said the Emirati Mission to the UN statement posted on social media.
The resolution, along with Mr. Guterres’ call, will increase political pressure on the Biden administration, which has staunchly supported Israel’s position that a ceasefire would only give Hamas a chance to regroup.
Israel’s ambassador, Gilad Erdan, accused Mr. Guterres of playing into the hands of Hamas. Mr Erdan has sharply criticized UN officials and Council members who have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Tensions between the United Nations and Israel have flared in the past two months. The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen, said Wednesday that he had decided to revoke the visa of Lynn Hastings, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Palestinian Territories. He accused the UN of bias and said Ms Hastings had not condemned Hamas’ atrocities on October 7 but had instead criticized Israel.
Stéphane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said the United Nations deeply regretted Israel’s decision and had asked Israeli officials to reconsider because Ms Hastings “acted with independence, neutrality and impartiality.”
Mr Guterres said in a letter to the Council President on Wednesday that the situation in Gaza was “rapidly deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible consequences for the Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs.”
The war began on October 7 when Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups carried out cross-border terrorist attacks in Israel, killing 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians. The attackers also took hostages and committed atrocities, including the rape and mutilation of scores of women, Israeli officials say.
Since then, Israel has invaded Gaza with ground forces and bombed thousands of targets from the air, crippling entire neighborhoods. Health officials in Gaza say more than 15,500 Palestinians have been killed, many of them women and children.
UN officials say more than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million people have been displaced. Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee to increasingly smaller areas as the war has closed in on all sides and supplies of food, water and medicine have dwindled.
Mr Guterres said the UN’s humanitarian aid work in Gaza had become virtually impossible due to the recent expansion of Israel’s offensive in southern Gaza. There are few or no safe zones left in the enclave, he said, making it extremely difficult for aid workers to operate.
The Security Council, the 15-member body charged with maintaining peace and stability in the world, is deeply divided and paralyzed by the war.
The majority of members have called for a permanent ceasefire, with the exception of the United States and Britain, both of which have veto power.