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UN keeps Gazans penned in Gaza, Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine buried

By David Singer - posted Thursday, 15 February 2024


UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continues to wring his hands in anguish as the humanitarian crisis threatens to worsen in Gaza – whilst he still refuses to take any action to transfer Gaza's women, children, the sick and elderly to 50 UN refugee camps providing safe havens outside Gaza in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the West Bank.

Apparently unmoved by the failure of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 - adopted on 23 December 2016 - to see the creation of a Palestinian Arab state between Israel and Jordan – Guterres continues to call for such a state - whilst totally ignoring the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution (HKOPS) authored by an advisor to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman – calling for the merger of Jordan, Gaza and part of the West Bank into one new territorial entity.

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Guterres has never acknowledged the existence of HKOPS since its publication in Al-Arabiya News on 8 June 2022.

Guterres confirmed these shocking personal failures of judgement and his gross dereliction of duty in maintaining them at his press conference on 8 February:

I am particularly worried by reports that the Israeli military intends to focus next on Rafah.

Half of Gaza's population is now crammed into Rafah. They have nowhere to go.

They have no homes – and they have no hope.

They are living in over-crowded make-shift shelters, in unsanitary conditions without running water, electricity and adequate food supplies.

All of this underscores the need for full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and ensuring their essential needs are met.

We are clear in condemning the horrific attacks of Hamas. We are also clear in condemning the violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

We need also the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

And we need real, visible, concrete steps towards a two-State solution – based on UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements.

Repeated bloody hostilities, and decades of tensions and occupation, have failed to provide a State for the Palestinians, or security for Israelis.

Mr Guterres:

  • You have had four months to move these suffering Gazans to the safety of your own refugee camps outside Gaza – yet you have done nothing – preferring to leave them penned in Gaza as human shields preventing Israel expeditiously hunting down those Gazanmonsters responsible for the heinous atrocities committed in Israel on 7 October 2023.
  • An immediate humanitarian cease fire will allow those bloodthirsty Gazan murderers, rapists and hostage-takers to regroup and reorganise themselves for further attacks on Israel.
  • Pursuing your failed 2016 two-state solution without considering HKOPS as its replacement displays an arrogance that should not be seen to be coming from a person in your position - who should be doing everything in his power to end the 100 years-old Jewish-Arab conflict – not perpetuate it.

Guterres also told the press conference:

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And we have principles to guide us, that we must preserve in all situations.

Respect for the United Nations Charter.

Respect for international law and international humanitarian law.

Mr Guterres:

  • You continue to condone the UN flagrantly violating article 80 of the UN Charter - which preserves the legal right vested in the Jewish people to reconstitute the Jewish National Home in the West Bank as authorized by articles 6 and 25 of the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine.

The international media remain silent as Guterres is not asked to justify his bizarre conduct.

At the UN: America, European Union members, Canada, India, Japan and Australia continue to back these Guterres-driven decisions on Gaza, HKOPS and violating the UN Charter - when they should be demanding Guterres resign.

 

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Author's note: The cartoon - commissioned exclusively for this article - is by Yaakov Kirschen aka "Dry Bones"- one of Israel's foremost political and social commentators - whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.



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About the Author

David Singer is an Australian Lawyer, a Foundation Member of the International Analyst Network and Convenor of Jordan is Palestine International - an organisation calling for sovereignty of the West Bank and Gaza to be allocated between Israel and Jordan as the two successor States to the Mandate for Palestine. Previous articles written by him can be found at www.jordanispalestine.blogspot.com.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by David Singer

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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