The Palestinian issue is a long-standing humanitarian crisis that has been going on for almost seven decades. The Palestinian people have been living under constant Israeli occupation, oppression, and illegal settlements. This crisis is not limited to Palestine and Israel; rather, it has become a global conscience call for international human rights, freedom, and justice. In the current situation, the question has become even more important: has the United Nations actually been able to play a proper role in resolving the Palestinian crisis, or has it only played the role of a silent spectator?
The roots of the Palestinian crisis date back to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Since then, the conflict has been based on the question of land and the rights of the people. For the Palestinians, the events of this year have been catastrophic, forcing them to become landless.
After that 1948 event, millions of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes and become refugees, in what is known in Palestinian history as the “Nakba” or catastrophe. Over the next few decades, Israeli occupation and settlement expansion continued, severely violating the basic human rights of Palestinians.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Israel occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. This occupation became a new nightmare for Palestinians, which continues to this day. The UN Security Council called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories in Resolution 242 in 1967. But Israel has ignored that resolution and has continued to expand settlement activities. Although these settlement activities are contrary to international law, practically nothing has been stopped. The founding goal of the United Nations was to protect world peace, security, and human rights. The United Nations has repeatedly passed resolutions on the Palestinian issue, which have not yet been implemented.
In 1947, the United Nations proposed the partition of Palestine into two separate states. It planned to establish a Jewish state and an Arab state. But that plan was never implemented. Since then, the role of the United Nations in the Palestinian issue has been only a policy position, which has never been implemented. Although there have been several Security Council resolutions, they have often been blocked due to the interests of major powers.
Although Israel has been called upon to withdraw from the occupation, powerful countries such as the United States have often taken a stand in favour of Israel and vetoed the resolutions. As a result, the Palestinian crisis has become increasingly complex. This biased behaviour of the world’s major powers has called into question the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations.
The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated and besieged regions in the world. The people of Gaza constantly have to live with a lack of water, electricity, food insecurity, and the lack of necessary medical services. Schools and hospitals are often attacked, which has created a terrible reality for children and vulnerable people.
Several UN reports have painted a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The blockade has crippled the local economy. Children are growing up in a violent environment, which is having a serious impact on their mental and physical health.
The UN, as well as other powers in the international community, were supposed to play a role in resolving the Palestinian crisis. However, in reality, the geopolitical interests of the major powers have become an obstacle to resolving this crisis.
The biased policies of the United States, the soft response of the European Union, and the division of the Arab world have weakened the struggle for the rights of the Palestinian people. Due to this, the path to international assistance has become even narrower. Although human rights organizations have highlighted human rights violations in Palestine, they have not brought about any effective change.
Organizations such as the UN Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned Israel’s occupation and human rights violations. Although these reports have expressed criticism and concern at the international level, the suffering of the Palestinian people continues to this day due to the lack of any effective action.
The UN’s overall efforts are seen as a major international failure as they are insufficient to resolve the Palestinian crisis. Although various UN agencies continue to provide relief and humanitarian assistance to Palestine, political consensus is essential to bring about a real solution.
Unless the Security Council’s abuse of veto power and partisan behaviour are stopped, the solution to this crisis will become impossible. Such global partisanship has played a role in the continuation of the Israeli occupation. Critics often question the existence of the organization due to the lack of an effective role for the UN.
Political reconciliation is still considered the most effective way to resolve the Palestinian crisis.
They believe that the UN has become an unprincipled and ineffective organization, which is used to protect the interests of major powers. The UN’s inability to resolve the Palestinian crisis is a major example of this criticism. Although the UN’s goal was to establish peace and protect human rights, that goal has often remained unfulfilled in the Palestinian issue.
Political reconciliation is still considered the most effective way to resolve the Palestinian crisis. The two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine would coexist as two independent states, has long been at the centre of the negotiations. However, to implement this solution, both sides will have to make major concessions and the international community will have to play an effective role in forging a compromise based on justice.
To bring about a lasting solution through negotiations, the United Nations and other powers of the world must play a neutral and active role. The UN human rights agency and other humanitarian organizations must work more effectively. A lasting solution to this crisis is not possible without reducing differences and building consensus among the nuclear-armed states. Resolute action must be taken to rise above political interests and achieve a just and lasting solution.
The European Union and other regional powers must also strengthen their position in resolving the Palestinian crisis. It is necessary to end injustice through effective action, not just condemnation or concern, on the issue of the rights of the Palestinian people. The UN must respond effectively and take action to address human rights violations by major international organizations. It is essential for world leaders, along with human rights organizations, to be active in both humanitarian aid and political support.
Although the Palestinian crisis is a long and complex problem, it cannot remain unresolved. Finding a humanitarian solution to this crisis is one of the greatest moral responsibilities of the world today. The United Nations and other international organizations must reassess their roles.
The international community must unite and work for a humanitarian and lasting solution. As long as the Palestinian issue remains unresolved, a major crisis in human rights and justice will persist in the world. This is a major challenge not only for the Palestinians but for the peace and security of the entire world. To solve the humanitarian crisis, everyone must stand together on the issue of humanity, not power politics. Only then will a just solution to the Palestinian issue be possible, where everyone can coexist peacefully. Without a just, lasting and respectful solution, world peace and human values will never be complete. The Palestinian people are waiting for the day when they will taste freedom and can stand with their heads held high in the world.
The responsibility of the United Nations and the world community to solve this humanitarian crisis is still unresolved. We should all move towards that solution because the struggle against unjust, true human rights and justice are the main pillars of peaceful co-existence.
The writer is a Bangladesh-based independent columnist and freelance journalist.