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People are dropping like flies in Gaza
It is key to remember that all resolutions do not have to be passed by the UNSC to oblige all member states to subscribe to the finest values and tenets of the founding document of the United Nations.
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Loss and grief: Relatives mourn over the body of a loved one killed during Israeli bombardment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 27, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)
T
he United Nations is infamous for paying every bit of attention to where the comma and period should be when it comes to drafting a statement or resolution. This is true not merely in the UN General Assembly but the UN Security Council (UNSC) too. When the UN resolution on Dec. 9 failed, vetoed as it was by the United States, the lament of the latter was the exclusion of Hamas being held accountable by all 14 members of the UNSC.
To say that the UN is a creature of habit would not quite be true. The resolution was endorsed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who cited Article 99, where the secretary-general “[sees] threats to international peace”, in this case, if a cease-fire was not enforced.
Take one of the simplest issues, for example, access to warm clothes. On Oct. 7, when the attacks on Gaza and Israel occurred, the temperature was a balmy 32 to 34 degrees Celsius.
As wintry weather and rain continue to pelt the Gazans, in a place where 85 percent of the infrastructure has been bombed to smithereens, including all 36 public hospitals, at least 2 million people will be exposed to the elements. The biting cold.
What is wrong with allowing more clothes to be sent to the people? Half of the population is aged below 16. The fact that the UN resolution was backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country with diplomatic relationships with the US and Israel, suggests the insouciance of Israel to the concerns of a friend.
While it is true that Malaysia and many other countries do not respect the unilateral sanctions of the US against member states of the UN, it is equally valid that the vested interests of the US and Israeli foreign policy have calcified into a heartless template.
Whether this is due to the backroom lobbying of the US’ National Security Council and the War Cabinet of Israel, the two entities have missed collective punitive measures as a common front.
