Gaza, one year on: Has the UN failed Palestinians?

 

Speaking to MEMO, the former Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Craig Mokhiber, discusse

s the complicity of Western powers in Israel's genocide, the collapse of international institutions and the enduring impunity enjoyed by the occupation state. Yet, amidst the devastation, he sees hope in the global civil movements rising up against injustice and demanding accountability.

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  by Sanja Skov Vedel

   sanjaskov
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Craig Mokhiber,  the former director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, worked for the United Nations for 32 years before resigning in 2023 in protest over the global body’s handling of Palestine. In his resignation letter, Mokhiber described the situation in Gaza as a “textbook case of genocide”, condemning the international community’s failure to act. A year later, he stands by every word.

“I left the United Nations precisely because of the atrocities being systematically perpetrated in Palestine, on the West Bank and in Gaza, and what I saw as a failure of international institutions to address it with the seriousness that this kind of historic horror requires,” Mokhiber tells MEMO.

His resignation underscores growing concerns about the ability of post-World War II institutions like the UN, which were created to prevent atrocities, to effectively respond to the crisis in Palestine. According to Mokhiber, these institutions have failed to take the necessary actions to stop the ongoing violence. Furthermore, he argues that the international community, particularly countries like the US, UK and Germany, have provided Israel with tacit approval to continue its campaign of destruction. He believes this unchecked violence aims to destroy Palestinian society.

“The purging of Palestinian civilians, the murder of tens of thousands, torture, summary executions… the killing of children, journalists, aid workers and medical personnel,” he says. “Israel has no limits in its capacity for atrocity.”

Gaza, one year on: Israel in the dock

Despite Israel facing charges of genocide in the World Court and war crimes indictments from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its prime minister and defence minister, Tel Aviv has continued its military assaults. Mokhiber argues that global inaction has damaged the very foundation of international law and tarnished institutions like the UN. “People are losing hope, and therefore those institutions are losing legitimacy,” he warns, adding that these bodies cannot survive without public trust.

Beyond the institutional failures, those who dare speak out face a barrage of intimidation. Mokhiber describes a challenging environment for those who criticise Israel, including within international institutions like the UN and ICC. “If you speak out against Israel, you are going to be persecuted. That’s a reality,” he says, pointing to what he sees as a widespread climate of fear within these organisations.

In the face of this repression, he finds a glimmer of hope in grassroots civil movements. He points to the rise of brave protesters, whether on college campuses or in capital cities worldwide, defying smear campaigns, police brutality and arrest to stand against Israeli occupation. “The most remarkable thing is all of the courageous people in civil society standing up, despite the repression.”

However, one year on since Israel’s latest and most brutal war on Gaza, the question remains: Has the UN truly failed the Palestinian people, or is this the beginning of a long and overdue path toward justice and accountability?

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241007-has-the-un-failed-palestinians/