Attempts to Hold Israel, U.S. and Their Accomplices to Account
International Calls to Reaffirm Palestine's Right to Be and Hold Israel to Account
UN Third Committee Reaffirms Palestinian People's Right to Self-Determination
At the United Nations, the Third Committee, which deals with Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues, overwhelmingly approved a draft resolution reaffirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, by a recorded vote of 168 in favour to five against (Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, United States), with nine abstentions (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Togo, Tonga, Vanuatu). The resolution instructs the General Assembly to stress the urgency of achieving without delay an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
The resolution, introduced by Egypt on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, 1. Reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine; 2. Urges all States and the specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to continue to support and assist the Palestinian people in the early realization of their right to self-determination.
Arab League Meetings
Foreign ministers of the Arab League, at a November 8 meeting in Riyadh headed by Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal Bin Farhan, discussed the Israeli aggression on Gaza and ways to stop it. They prepared draft resolutions related to this single item to be presented at the League's extraordinary meeting at the summit level that followed. The foreign ministers categorically rejected the displacement of Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan as well as Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip, and called for "holding Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people before the relevant international courts." In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the ministers condemned "the Israeli occupation and its aggression against the Gaza Strip and called for it to be held accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people and rejected Israel's reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and any other Palestinian lands."
The extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit took place in Riyadh on November 18, with dozens of leaders taking part, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose country rejoined the Arab League this year.
The summit called for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza, rejecting Israel's justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defence. The summit's final communiqué urged the International Criminal Court to investigate "war crimes and crimes against humanity that Israel is committing" in the Palestinian territories.
U.S. diplomats have warned the Biden administration that continued support by the U.S. for Israel's military action in Gaza is provoking fury in the Arab world, according to a diplomatic cable obtained by CNN. The cable, received by the White House on November 8 from its embassy in Oman, added that the conclusion was drawn from conversations with "a wide range of trusted and sober-minded contacts."
President Biden told reporters at the White House on November 9 that there is presently "no possibility" of a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza, claiming that doing so would only serve to allow Hamas an opportunity to regroup.
Türkiye Decries Israel's Crime Against Humanity
President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan on November 10 accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity as it continues its bombing campaign on Gaza. Erdogan called Israel's actions "a disaster, a tragedy" and said "a crime against humanity is committed in Gaza before the eyes of the whole world."
On November 18, President Erdogan said, "If a ceasefire is reached, we will do whatever is necessary to compensate for the destruction caused by Israel," saying it will make efforts to rebuild damaged infrastructure, hospitals and schools in Gaza.
Türkiye has sent 666 tonnes of humanitarian aid, medicine and medical equipment and a medical team to Egypt for Gazans so far, Reuters reports. Türkiye said it is working with Egyptian and Israeli authorities as part of a coordination mechanism to bring cancer patients and some wounded civilians to Türkiye for treatment.
Calls for Israel's Nuclear Weapons Program to Be Dismantled
On November 13, Iran called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to notify the UN Security Council of Israel's threat to use nuclear weapons in Gaza. Iran was referring to Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu's threat that use of an atomic bomb against the Palestinian people in Gaza was an "option." The threats "revealed that the regime possesses nuclear weapons," he said, adding that by threatening the oppressed and helpless people of Gaza, the regime has "challenged the fundamental principles of the International Humanitarian Law." The Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami said, "it is expected that the Agency, according to its statutory duties, while condemning these statements which are contrary to the International Law, reflects dangerous consequences of use or threat to use of nuclear weapons posed by this fake regime to the United Nations Security Council." Iran's permanent ambassador to the UN called on the international community to push Israel to fully cooperate with the UN nuclear agency and dismantle its nuclear weapons program amid the regime's brutal aggression on the besieged area.
The President of Türkiye on November 15 also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce whether or not Israel had nuclear weapons, and called for nuclear weapons inspections. "As Türkiye, we are making this call. Israel's nuclear weapons must be inspected beyond doubt before it is too late. We will follow up on this," he said.
This article was published in
Volume 53 Number 23 - November 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/MS53237.HTM
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