In an unusual move, UN Secretary-General Guterres called on the Security Council to prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. Israel then calls him a “threat to world peace.”
In a rare move, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the UN Security Council to work to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. In a letter to the Security Council on Wednesday, the UN chief invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time since taking office in 2017.
This allows the Secretary General to draw the attention of the Security Council to matters that, in his view, threaten international peace and security – and, according to the UN, has not been used for decades.
“I call on the members of the Security Council to push to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” said the letter, which was obtained by the dpa news agency. “I repeat my call for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared greater suffering.”
Rare occurrence in the history of the UN
The UN chief said that in view of the great loss of life in the Gaza Strip and Israel within a comparatively short period of time, he decided to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter, the United Nations said. This has only happened very rarely in the history of the UN.
Symbolically, the Secretary General gives his call greater significance. “This is a very dramatic, a very strong act and we hope that it moves the members of the Security Council and the international community,” said a spokesman for the Secretary General.
No direct consequences
However, an appeal to Article 99 does not have any direct consequences. However, it is expected that the Security Council will meet on the issue this week and that Guterres will also be there, said the spokesman. In addition, the Secretary General will also communicate with the members of the Security Council by telephone and in person in the coming days.
Normally, the members of the Security Council decide for themselves which issues they perceive as threats to world peace and therefore want to put on the agenda. The most powerful UN body has so far only passed one resolution on the war in the Middle East, but otherwise has often appeared divided.
“A threat to world peace”
Israel’s foreign minister sharply criticized Guterres’ move. “His request to activate Article 99 and the call for a ceasefire in Gaza constitutes support for the terrorist organization Hamas and an endorsement of the murder of the elderly, the kidnapping of babies and the rape of women,” Eli Cohen wrote on X.
Anyone who supports world peace must support the liberation of Gaza from Hamas. “Guterres’ term in office is a threat to world peace,” said the politician.
Tim Aßmann, ARD Berlin, currently Tel Aviv, tagesschau, December 7th, 2023 5:24 a.m