The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Quarterly Open Debate
Tomorrow (29 October), the Security Council will hold its quarterly open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis will chair the meeting. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is the expected briefer.
The deteriorating situation in northern Gaza is expected to be a key focus of tomorrow’s meeting. Since 5 October, Israel has been carrying out a military offensive in the north of the Gaza Strip, progressively putting this area under siege. The offensive is focused on the Jabalia refugee camp, where Israel says that Hamas has attempted to rebuild its capabilities.
Key international interlocutors have expressed alarm about the dire effects of the offensive for the Palestinian population. In a 25 October statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that, in the north of Gaza, the Israeli military is “subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation, as well as being forced to choose between mass displacement and being trapped in an active conflict zone”. Citing the Israeli army’s orders directed at “hundreds of thousands” of people to leave the area, he warned that Israel’s “policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians” and “could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity”.
Similarly, a 27 October statement by Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said that the Secretary-General was “shocked by the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction” in the north of Gaza, with “civilians trapped under rubble, the sick and wounded going without life-saving health care, and families lacking food and shelter”. The statement added that repeated efforts to deliver essential humanitarian supplies “continue to be denied by the Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in peril”.
On 23 October, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the postponement of the UN vaccination campaign for variant poliovirus type 2 (polio) in northern Gaza due to “escalating violence, intense bombardment, mass displacement orders, and lack of assured humanitarian pauses across most of northern Gaza”. This would have been the last phase of the second round of the vaccination campaign which began on 14 October.
Tomorrow, several Council members are likely to urge Israel to lift all barriers to humanitarian assistance in northern Gaza in order to allow essential humanitarian supplies to be delivered at scale. Council members may echo the concerns they voiced during the 16 October briefing on the MEPQ, which Algeria called to address the situation in northern Gaza.
At that meeting, Sierra Leone noted that aid to the north had been blocked for nearly ten days, saying that this represented “an alarming violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 2417, which condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war”. Switzerland, too, referenced resolution 2417 of 24 May 2018, stressing that it condemned the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and the deprivation of civilians of objects indispensable to their survival. Guyana said that “there is a veritable genocide taking place in Gaza” and called on the Council to consider ways to facilitate the implementation of the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of South Africa’s proceedings against Israel concerning possible violations in the Gaza Strip of obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Some members also expressed concerns that the military operation in northern Gaza could lead to Israel assuming permanent control of part of the Gaza Strip, with the UK stressing that “northern Gaza must not be cut off from the south” and that “there must be no forcible transfers of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip”. The Republic of Korea (ROK) said that the current Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) strategy cannot guarantee Israel’s security, adding that “traumatising and brutalising entire generations of Palestinians in Gaza will only exacerbate deep-rooted resentment and hatred, laying the ground for more violence and tragedy”.
The US, Israel’s key ally on the Security Council, has generally adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Israel. At the 16 October meeting, it said that Israel “must do more to address the intolerable and catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, adding that, although the Security Council “has an important role to play”, ultimately “actions on the ground, more than discussions here in New York, are what will bring real progress”—an apparent reference to the US’ opposition to the adoption of Council products on this file.
Tomorrow, Council members are expected to reiterate their long-standing calls for a ceasefire and for the release of all hostages held by Palestinian armed groups. Several participants may call on all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve a deal to that end. Some might reference the resumption on 27 October of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar or the recent proposal by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four hostages and some Palestinian prisoners as a first step towards a permanent ceasefire. Several participants are also likely to call for the re-establishment of a political process between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a two-state solution.
Members are expected to stress the need to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and respect international humanitarian law. Several members may urge Hamas to stop firing rockets towards Israel and reiterate their condemnations of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks against Israel.
Today’s (28 October) passing into law of two bills on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by the Israeli Knesset (parliament) is expected to be another key focus of tomorrow’s open debate. One piece of legislation is aimed at preventing the agency from “operating in Israel”. The other is expected to affect UNRWA’s diplomatic status and prevent Israeli agencies or representatives from having any contact with UNRWA officials, among other measures.
Tomorrow, many participants are likely to express concern at this development and show their support for UNRWA. They may want to hear Wennesland’s views on the laws’ effects on UNRWA’s capacity to assist Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. At a 28 October press briefing, Dujarric said that Secretary-General António Guterres had recently written to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing the view that the legislation would be “diametrically opposed” to the UN Charter and “the Israeli government’s responsibility under international law”. On 17 October, the Permanent Representatives to the UN of Jordan and Kuwait read a joint statement in support of UNRWA on behalf of a large group of countries, including Council members Algeria, China, France, Guyana, Malta, Japan, the ROK, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the UK. The statement expressed alarm at the legislation, noting that it could prevent UNRWA from carrying out its “lifesaving operations”.
A 13 October letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer listed a series of measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and expressed deep concern about the potential adoption of the legislation. In a 26 October statement, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the ROK, and the UK urged Israel to “keep the reserve privileges and immunities of UNRWA untouched and live up to its responsibility to facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms”. The statement also noted that UNRWA “has taken steps to address allegations regarding individual employees’ support for terrorist organizations” and called on the Agency to “continue its path of reform as a priority, demonstrating its commitment to the principle of neutrality, and ensure that its activities remain entirely in line with its mandate”. In a 28 October statement following the passing of the legislation, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that the legislation is the latest step in “the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA” and it amounts to “nothing less than collective punishment”. Tomorrow, several participants are likely to echo these messages.
Council members are also likely to reiterate their calls for de-escalation across the Middle East and stress the importance of pursuing diplomatic solutions. Participants may express concern at the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and may call for the full implementation of resolution 1701, which in 2006 called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Members might also call on all parties to take the utmost care to avoid civilian casualties and ensure the safety and security of the personnel of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
At the time of writing, the ten elected members of the Council (E10) were consulting on a possible draft resolution on Gaza. It seems that members are also considering a press statement on UNRWA.