Photograph Source: Patrick Gruban – CC BY-SA 2.0
Geneva.
On 9 September 2025, the 80th session of the UN General Assembly opens amidst growing threats to international peace and security, particularly in the Middle East, where a genocide against the Palestinian people is being committed by Israel, with the complicity of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and other countries that continue to give military, economic, political, diplomatic and propagandistic support to the genocidal State. This must stop. The GA must call for an immediate arms embargo and adopt pertinent resolutions on the “Uniting for Peace” precedents.
Since December 2023 the International Court of Justice is seized of the case South Africa v. Israel, which seeks to prove that Israel’s actions constitute genocide within the meaning of the 1948 Genocide Convention and to fix the civil and criminal responsibility of Israeli leaders. There is no doubt that the ICJ will make the pertinent findings, which will have to be consistent with its prior jurisprudence on matters of genocide. The ongoing Nakba against the Palestinian surpasses previous instances of genocide brought before the World Court.
On 19 July 2024, the ICJ issued an Advisory Opinion declaring “that the State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful”, “that the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory “, that “that the State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, and that “the State of Israel has the obligation to make reparation for the damage caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. In the same spirit, the International Criminal Court issued warrants for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Minister of War Yoav Gallant on 21 November 2024. To this day, neither has been arrested and brought to the Hague.
Pursuant to article 2(2) of the Charter, all UN Member states must “fulfil in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter”. Pursuant to Article 2(5), they must “give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter”. Pursuant to Art. 94, member states are obliged to “comply with the decision of the International Court of Justice in any case to which it is a party.”
Hitherto Israel has refused to comply with pertinent ICJ orders and with the specific findings contained in the Advisory Opinions of 9 July 2004 and 19 July 2024. This behaviour constitutes a serious challenge not only to the ICJ but to the United Nations Organization itself. Accordingly, the General Assembly is obliged legally and morally to take appropriate measures to stop the genocide and thus restore its authority and credibility.
International non-governmental organizations and civil society are calling upon the General Assembly to follow-up on the resolution adopted on 18 September 2024 by the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly, demanding that Israel end its unlawful presence in occupied Palestine Territory “within one year” . In its Resolution ES-10-24 the General Assembly:
“Confirms its determination to examine further practical ways and means to secure the full respect of the advisory opinion and the full implementation of all relevant United Nations resolutions, notably in case of non-compliance; 16. Urges all States, the United Nations and its specialized agencies and organizations, as well as regional organizations, to support and assist the Palestinian people in the early realization of its right to self-determination and to actively pursue steps to ensure full implementation of the advisory opinion and of all relevant United Nations resolutions.”
GA Resolution was endorsed by Amnesty International which stated inter alia that Israel must implement the resolution by ending its unlawful occupation of all Palestinian territories.
The 12 months period stipulated by the General Assembly for Israel to end its illegal occupation expires on 18 September 2025. The situation is graver than it was in September 2024. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, the terror and murderous violence of the Zionist settlers against Palestinian peasants has become critical.
Accordingly, we call for immediate action by the General Assembly and endorse the conclusions of former UN official Craig Mokhiber, who served as Chief of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at UN Headquarters in New York. In a paper published on 27 August 2025 Mokhiber argued that the General Assembly should adopt a pertinent resolution under Uniting for Peace, which should
1. Call on all states to adopt comprehensive sanctions and a military embargo against the Israeli regime. While it lacks the power to enforce sanctions, it can call them, monitor them, and supplement them as required.
2. Decide to reject the UNGA credentials of Israel, as the UNGA did in the case of apartheid South Africa.
3. Mandate an accountability mechanism (like a criminal tribunal) to address Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, apartheid, and genocide.
4. Reactivate the UN’s long-dormant anti-apartheid mechanisms to address Israeli apartheid, and
- Mandate an armed, multinational, UN protection force to deploy to Gaza (and, ultimately, to the West Bank), acting at the request of the State of Palestine, to protect civilians, open entry points via land and sea, facilitate humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of Israeli crimes, and assist in recovery and reconstruction.
These actions can be adopted by the UNGA with a two-thirds majority, thereby circumventing the U.S. veto in the Security Council. Most importantly, as affirmed by recent ICJ rulings. Israel would have no legal right to refuse or obstruct a GA mandated mission. In its Advisory Opinions the ICJ has already held that Israel has no authority, no sovereignty, and no rights in Gaza or in the West Bank.
In this context we recall that UN Security Council Resolution 2735 specifically “Rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.” Demographic manipulation in prohibited by international humanitarian law, specifically by article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Red Cross Convention of 1949. It is obvious that any purported “annexation” of Gaza by Israel is illegal and contrary to numerous international law norms and treaties. Even if President Trump were to recognize the “annexation” of Gaza by Israel, such recognition would have no validity in international law and UN member states would be under an obligation to refrain from recognizing the illegal use of force by Israel.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have long argued that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This determination has been strengthened by the adoption of a pertinent resolution on 31 August 2025 by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declaring “ that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)… that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The resolution further “calls upon the government of Israel to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attacks against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population; Calls upon the government of Israel to comply with the Provisional Measures orders of the International Court of Justice… [and] Calls upon the state parties of the International Criminal Court to comply with their obligations, cooperate with the Court, and surrender any individual subject to an arrest warrant [and] Calls upon all states to actively pursue policies to ensure respect for their obligations under international law, including under the Genocide Convention, the Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law, with regards to Israel and Palestine”.
The ongoing genocide in Gaza and the systematic violation of ICJ orders by Israel (South Africa v. Israel), and of ICJ Advisory Opinions constitute a challenge to the authority and credibility of the United Nations justifying the expulsion of Israel from membership in the United Nations pursuant to Article 6 of the UN Charter, which stipulates:
A Member of the United Nations who has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
At the very least, the General Assembly should adopt a resolution excluding Israel from participation in the General Assembly. This can be done by denying accreditation to Israeli diplomats, as was done in 1974 with regard to the diplomats of the South African Apartheid regime that had similarly refused to honour pertinent Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
While the world welcomes the 80th anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter on 24 October 1945, not all states are living up to their obligations and many continue to flaunt decisions and resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council. The abuse of the veto power by the United States – more than 45 vetoes to shield Israel from the consequences of its crimes – makes evident the urgency to reform the Security Council, and the necessity to hold accountable all States that become complicit in the Gaza genocide.
The authority and credibility of the Organization depends on enforcement. Yet, the United Nations can only be as strong as the nations that comprise it. Its effectiveness rests on the good faith and political will of its members.
If the international community allows states to ignore the rulings of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, if States are allowed to breach the UN Charter and the 1948 Genocide Convention without suffering any adverse consequences, we and our children will have to endure perpetual wars and desolation. Civil society calls on States to return to the spirit of the UN Charter and to the spirituality of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is up to us to save not only Palestinian lives – but also our civilization!
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