Palestinian group says UN resolution violates right to self-determination
Al-Haq has warned that the UNSC resolution adopted on Monday further undermines Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
“The proposition that the United States be authorised by the UN Security Council to establish itself as an Occupying Power in Palestine is inherently in contravention of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and in violation of the UN Charter,” the Ramallah-based human rights organisation said in a statement.
Al-Haq also warned that the creation of the Board of Peace and the temporary international stabilisation force “indicates the wholesale abandonment of international law, and the utter undermining of the UN Charter system”.
What does the Gaza resolution say about Palestinian statehood?
While the resolution does mention a possible future Palestinian state, it does so in a convoluted manner.
The text says that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform programme and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
It also says that the US “will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence”.
The reference to a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians has proved controversial in Israel. Netanyahu, who is under pressure from right-wing members of his government, said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarise Gaza “the easy way or the hard way”.
Gaza stabilisation force will not be subject to UN rules
Daniel Forti, a senior UN analyst with the International Crisis Group, says there needs to be a credible creation process for the international stabilisation force (ISF). He said the Security Council has authorised organisations that are not the UN, including coalitions such as NATO, to launch military intervention with its legal blessings.
“And that was the basic concept of what the US put forward for the ISF,” he told Al Jazeera from New York City. “The ISF is not meant to be a UN Blue Helmet mission. It will not be led or overseen by the UN, and will not follow its procedures or its rules. But it will have the council’s legitimacy and its backing,” he said.
The ISF will also not be subject to the UN’s traditional practices for mobilising troops or funding and missions, he said. “So this will very much depend on the countries that want to contribute boots on the ground and pay for the stabilisation force.”
Forti added that humanitarian groups in Gaza have noted a need for a mission that has the permission to use force, in order to maintain law and order, in the war-torn territory.
