GUEST BLOG: Pat O’Dea – A ceasefire in Gaza
Ceasefire in Gaza
The UN has finally ordered Israel to ceasefire in Gaza.
The US abstained from voting on the ceasefire motion in the Security Council which allowed the UN resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza to be passed.
The Security Council, is the highest decision making body in the UN. The ceasefire resolution in the Security Council is in line with the majority vote of the vast majority of the world’s nations represented in the UN General Assembly.
The UN ceasefire resolution is binding on both Israel and Hamas.
A spokesperson for Hamas has said the UN ceasefire order falls short of their request to the UN that all Israeli forces be ordered to withdraw from Gaza and all displaced persons be allowed to return to their homes. (or what’s left of them).
It seems that at this early stage Israel and Hamas will obey the UN order.
However, Israel has issued an order that UNRWA will not be allowed to deliver aid to Northern Gaza.
It is hard to imagine how Israel will enforce their order against UNWRA without breaking the ceasefire.
It is also possible that Israel will break the UN ceasefire order and fire on the Palestinians if some of the displaced people attempt to return to their homes.
UN Security Council passes resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
By Richard Roth, Ivana Kottasová, Lauren Izso and Jeremy Diamond, CNN
Updated 11:37 AM EDT, Mon March 25, 2024
….The reported deal could see the release of around 700 Palestinian prisoners, among them 100 serving life sentences for killing Israeli nationals, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
However, Hamas said more issues remain unresolved beyond the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas senior officials Basem Naeim told CNN that “Israeli-American media” was adding pressure on the talks.
“For us, the negotiations are not only centric around the prisoner exchange deal,” he said.
“Israel has not agreed to any of [Hamas] requests related to a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of all forces from the Gaza Strip, even in stages, and the return of all displaced people to their homes,” Naeim said…..
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced on Sunday night that it was now formally prohibited by Israel from delivering any food aid to the northern Gaza Strip.
“Despite the tragedy unfolding before our eyes, the Israeli authorities have informed the UN that they will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to the north” of the Gaza Strip, announced Philippe Lazzarini on X, stressing that the agency remains “the main lifeline for Palestinian refugees.”
The Israeli policy of starving the Palestinians to death as part of their genocidal war strategy, especially by preventing aid reaching North Gaza may be considered to be a breach of the ceasefire order.
Pat O’Dea is a staunch unionist and activist
Breaking news:
It seems that Israel, (and its US ally) are preparing to defy and undermine the the whole post WWII United Nations system.
Currently the Israeli Knesset is debating whether to ignore the United Nations Security Council ceasefire order.
If the Israeli government do decide to defy the United Nations ceasefire order, will Western nations, (including New Zealand) cut diplomatic ties with and sanction the state of Israel until Israel agrees to abide with international law?
There is a lot at stake
The vast majority of the nations of the world, have repeatedly voted in the United Nations General Assembly for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Are Israel, (and its US military backer) preparing to continue to ignore the will of the majority of the world’s people in the United Nations General Assembly?
The world’s highest court, the United Nations International Court of Justice, has made an order to lift all restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Are Israel and its Western allies (including New Zealand) prepared to continue to defy the United Nations International Court of Justice ruling on supplying humanitarian aid to Gaza?
Western countries nominally allied with Israel, (like New Zealand) claim we support the Post WWII International Rules Based Order and the International Rule of Law.
Are we prepared to trash the whole United Nations post WWII Rules Based System?
Palestinian leaders are prepared to trash that “rules based system” you place so much faith in whilst milking it to the nines for as much dosh and dhimmi support as they can extort. It’s an ineffectual, effete, corrupt, OIC dominated organisation which needs a severe cleaning out – starting with UNRWA.
Ann E, Are you a Zionist?
Relevance?
It’s a yes or no question.
I wasn’t accusing of being a Zionist I was just curious.
If you are looking only for a yes/no answer please state what you believe a Zionist to be.
According to the UN Charter, all Security Council resolutions are binding under international law.
American Empire rewrites international Law to suit itself:
‘It is our interpretation of this resolution that it is non-binding,’ US State Dept. spokesman
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-says-un-security-council-resolution-demanding-gaza-cease-fire-non-binding/3174746#
The US has just trashed the Post World War II ‘Rules Based Order’ that Western nations (including NZ), are always crowing about and demanding other nations adhere to.
The post-war International Rules Based System was set up to avoid a repeat of WWII
The danger of the US attack on International Law risks dividing the world into two hostile opposing camps making world war more likely.
Nothing brings me joy like seeing Israeli war criminals coping and seething
The UN Security Council gave voting rights and especially veto rights to the major superpowers. The idea was to prevent conflicts of interest between them that could risk another inter-imperialist global war.
If the US superpower and its allies are not bound by orders of the UN Security Council, then no other country is bound by orders of the UN Security Council. And global war is more likely.
If Security Council orders are nonbinding, Security Council Vetoes are nonbinding, and Security Council Permanent Members can do whatever the hell they like, even if other Security Council Permanent Members veto it. Even if the whole General Assembly votes against it.
Invade other countries, bomb other countries, rob other countries pollute other countries, tear up international treaties.
If we have the guns and missiles and the planes and the soldiers to do what we like, we will do what we like.
Commit genocide? Yep that’s OK, Whatever you like.
So much for the Post WWII rules based order, So much for all the international laws and regulations and agreements.
They are only useful for so much shit paper.
Forget about rules of the sea and freedom of navigation. Forget about international binding climate treaties. Forget about nuclear free zones and protected fisheries.
Want to know why China is developing a hypersonic missile capability to sink any surface ship in the Pacific
Want to know why the US is building a massive nuclear submarine fleet and stationing it in Australia.
Everything will be decided by force. Not treaties, not rules, not laws.
……hard to imagine how Israel will enforce their order against UNWRA without breaking the ceasefire.
It is also possible that Israel will break the UN ceasefire order and fire on the Palestinians if some of the displaced people attempt to return to their homes.
Genocidal Zionists caught in the act:
Exclusive footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows unarmed Palestinian men – one repeatedly waving a white fabric cloth – before Israeli troops shoot them dead and then bury the bodies with a bulldozer near Gaza City.
Hamas condemns the killings of the two unarmed men in the video saying it is “further evidence of the scale of fascism and criminality that governs Zionist behaviour”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/28/israels-war-on-gaza-live-unarmed-palestinians-killed-buried-by-bulldozer
Genocidal Zionists caught in the act
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtzbKQ1jrkk
There are very few photos that show German soldiers carrying out the holocaust, but from the few photos that do exist, we can tell that these killers are well practiced and their murderous activity is routine.
Watch the video, and notice the matter of fact way the killings are carried out, the routine manner the still warm bodies are quickly and efficiently disposed of.
The killers are clearly well practiced at murdering unarmed people and efficiently hiding the bodies.
We know that the IDF murder unarmed civilians. And the world only found out about this, because the civilians the IDF murdered in the same manner as in the video, turned out to be escaped Israeli hostages.
This begs the question; How many more incidents of routine murder of unarmed civilians in Gaza by IDF soldiers is not being captured on video, or are not Israelis?
Tens? hundreds? thousands?
Where are all the thousands of captured Palestinians in IDF hands been taken to?
Are the same bulldozers being used to dispose of their bodies?
The Israelis refuse to allow any aid missions into North Gaza, not just to starve the remaining population to death but to hide the magnitude of their crime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtzbKQ1jrkk