Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
The international community is united in their condemnation of the actions of Israel upon the civilians in Gaza, with a death now well over 40,000, and the attacks on Lebanon which have killed and injured civilians who have no connection to Hezbollah. The UN General Assembly has voted for a ceasefire, but Israel ignores the international community.
Israel carries out its genocide in Gaza, while opening a new war in Lebanon which may decimate the infrastructure of a member of the UN with a population of 43% Christians and 57% Muslims, and a French speaking nation.
The US veto in the UN Security Council allows Israel to act with impunity, safeguarded from any constraints.
However, the UN in 1950 designed an off-ramp, which allows for the General Assembly to act over and above if a Security Council is held hostage of one veto.
Experts say the time is overdue to act to avert a regional war in the Middle East which will certainly have global repercussions, as well may start the Third World War.
The UN resolution 377 A (V) was given the title “Uniting for Peace”, and allows the General Assembly to call for an emergency special session. The last emergency special session began in 1997, dealing with the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and can be resumed at any time because it was only adjourned in 2006.
The US Ambassador to the UN, John Foster Dulles, was instrumental in the passing of the “Uniting for Peace” system. He said, “If, in response to our resolution, the Member States do actually establish a system which ensures that aggression will be promptly exposed, if they maintain a collective strength, and if they have both the will and the way to use that strength promptly in case of need, then a third world war may be permanently averted … It would be vastly reassuring to all who love peace if here we could adopt unanimously a program which only aggressors need fear. … We must organize dependably the collective will to resist. If the Security Council does not do so, then this Assembly must do what it can by invoking its residual power of recommendation … As the world moves in the path that this resolution defines, it will move nearer and nearer to the Charter ideal.”
On September 18, the UN General Assembly passed historic Resolution ES-10/24 (124 in favor,14 against, 43 abstentions), demanding Israel end its occupation within 12 months, evacuate its settlers and military forces from the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT), and provide reparations to Palestinians affected by the occupation, and third states to suspend arms transfers to Israel, in accord with the ICJ advisory opinion finding Israel’s occupation illegal.Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Dan Kovalik, human rights, labor rights lawyer, peace activist, and author of the new book, The Plot to Control The World.
#1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): Israel attacked UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on October 10, October 11, and on October 13 two Israeli tanks burst through and destroyed the main gate to the UN base. These actions were met with international condemnation, but Israel seems to ignore it. In your opinion, is there any way to stop the Israeli attacks on the UN?
Dan Kovalik (DK): Israel has been at war with the UN since the beginning of this conflict, killing more UN staff people than any killed in history. There is a way to stop this. The UN General Assembly must use the “Uniting for Peace” process and order a military force to intervene and stop Israel’s assault on the UN and to stop its genocidal rampage. This measure is long overdue.
#2. SS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones.” In your view, why does Netanyahu want the UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon?
DK: First of all, Guterres has no power to order UNIFIL to leave. They are there by Security Council authorization and can only be ordered to leave by the Security Council. That said, Netanyahu wants UNIFIL to leave in order to make way for a full-scale invasion of Lebanon without limit and without eyewitnesses to the crimes Netanyahu plans to commit against the Lebanese population.
#3. SS: UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said at least 230 UNRWA staff have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel’s attacks there. In your opinion, can Israel be held accountable for these deaths?
DK: Certainly, Israel can be held accountable for these crimes by the International Criminal Court if there is a will among the international community to do this. The problem is that the West, and especially the U.S. and UK, have been putting pressure on the ICC not to act against Israel.
#4. SS: According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least 564 schools in the Gaza Strip have been directly hit or damaged by Israeli attacks. In your view, what can be done about this, and why would Israel target schools run by the UN?
DK: Israel has generally been targeting these schools because they have become centers to house Palestinians displaced by the war. Israel wants to do maximum damage to the Palestinian people in Gaza in order to carry out its genocidal designs. Israel has also targeted schools and universities as a process of “educide,” wanting to destroy Palestine’s well-known culture of education and learning.
#5. SS: It appears Israel is above the law, and the international community seems impotent to stop Israel from atrocities and crimes. It is known that the US is complicit in the crimes that Israel is allowed to commit with impunity. In your opinion, is there any possibility of holding the US accountable for their complicity?
DK: It will be very difficult to hold the U.S. accountable because of its overwhelming military superiority in the world. The U.S. has destroyed international law in order to create a world in which might makes right, knowing that this would give the U.S. the advantage to do as it wills without limits. This has created a truly dangerous situation in the world which will be hard to contain.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
