In view of the current human disaster unfolding in Gaza, let us look at the membership of the United Nations (UN).
There are 195 countries in the world, with 193 being members of the UN, and Palestine and the Vatican City as members with observer status.
The Security Council of the United Nations’ (UNSC’s) primary responsibility is to maintain international peace and security.
The UNSC has five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US), who have veto power to reject any decision, and 10 elected members which serve two year, non-consecutive terms and do not have veto power.
Under the Charter of the United Nations, all member states are obligated to comply with council decisions. The UN Charter states; “We the people of the UN determined; (1) to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind.
(2) to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.
(3) to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained.
(4) to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”
And to achieve the above: “(1) To practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and (2) to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and (3) to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and (4) to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.”
UNSC Resolution 2334 of 2016 “reaffirmed that Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the vision of two states living side-byside in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders”. Resolution 2334 was adopted by 14 votes, with the US abstaining.
Israel is a member of the UN, yet it has contravened the UN charter with its bombardment of the innocent Palestinian families in Gaza and the West Bank.
In conclusion, is Israel a transgressor or a law-abiding country?
You be the judge.
* Adiel Ismail, Mountview.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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