Alwaght- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested on Friday deploying UN-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers into Gaza as well as increasing UN civilian presence or expanding UN assistance in order to protect people in the besieged strip.
The proposal is part of a UN General Assembly report adopted in June that condemns Israeli regime for using excessive force against Palestinian civilians.
The resolution asked for proposals to ensure “the safety, protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation, including ... recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
In the 14-page report, the secretary-general said the combination of more than 50 years of Israeli military occupation, "constant security threats, weak political institutions and a deadlocked peace process, provides for a protection challenge that is highly complex politically, legally and practically."
Armed UN peacekeepers or armed forces from a group of like-minded states operating under a United Nations mandate could be deployed to offer physical protection, Guterres said. This option, however, would need a Security Council mandate and the United States, a staunch ally of Tel Aviv regime, would likely veto it.
A UN or non-UN civilian observer mission could be deployed “with a specific mandate to report on protection and well-being issues and provide local mediation,” Guterres said. This would also need a UN-mandate.
A third option could be expanding current UN programs and development and humanitarian aid to address the needs of Palestinian civilians more effectively and strengthen Palestinian institutions, he wrote.
The final option could be to send additional UN human rights, coordination and political officers to boost monitoring and reporting on the situation and increase the UN’s visibility, Guterres said.
The General Assembly resolution requesting the report was adopted with 120 votes in favor, eight against and 45 abstentions. It was put forward in the General Assembly after the US vetoed a similar resolution in the 15-member UN Security Council.
In the report, Guterres sharply criticized Israel's expansion of settlements saying the building "continues unabated and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law." He said the high number of Palestinian casualties, including children, since protests began at the Gaza fence on March 30 "reflects an alarming trend of the use of lethal force by Israeli security forces against individuals who may not pose a threat of imminent death or serious injury."
Israeli Regime forces have killed at least 170 and injured more than 18,000 Palestinians during the “Great March of Return,” a campaign started since March 30 asking for the right to return of displaced Palestinians to their lands.
