UNITED NATIONS, New York
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed deep sadness at his inability to end the war in Gaza, “or at least to create the conditions for people to respect international law and international humanitarian law.”
He told our reporter: “My worst
frustration is to see suffering at such a large scale and to know that I
haven’t the power to stop it. But it’s a reality: I haven’t the power to stop
it.”
He added: “I can raise my
voice, and I do it. I can sometimes convene, but people need to be willing to
be convened.
“But the biggest frustration I
have is not to have the power to end this conflict, or at least to create the
conditions for people to respect international law and international
humanitarian law.”
Speaking at his annual press
conference to highlight his agenda priorities for this year, Guterres warned
that a “gigantic tragedy” could happen in Rafah if Israel follows through on
its intent to expand its offensive into the southern town where over 1 million
Palestinians are sheltering.
“Half of Gaza’s population is
now crammed into Rafah. They have nowhere to go. They have no homes, and they
have no hope,” he said, again calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,
the unconditional release of hostages, and the need for “real, visible,
concrete steps” towards a two-state solution.
He voiced his disagreement
“with the policies of the government of Israel, with the settlements, and with
a number of other initiatives that have undermined the two-state solution.
“And I’ve also expressed my
opinion that the way the military operations have been conducted in Gaza has
been with the absolutely unacceptable excess of people being killed, and the
destruction.”
He added: “I’ll always be a
strong supporter of the right of Israel to live in peace and security. I’ve
always been a committed fighter against antisemitism.
“But I’m also totally
committed to work for the Palestinians to be able to have their own state and
to have their self-determination recognized, and to the end of occupation.”
Guterres sent a message to the
people of Gaza of “total solidarity with the horrible suffering,” and “total
commitment to do everything to mobilize the UN system to provide the possible
assistance we can provide, and at the same time to go on with a very active
global advocacy for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to take place.”
The press conference came at a
time when Qatar has been working with the US and Egypt to broker a ceasefire
that would involve a halt in fighting for several weeks, and the release of the
more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas after its Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
Guterres said it is in the
interest of everybody, “and in the particular interest of the government of
Israel,” to make sure that these negotiations are successful, reiterating that
“the quest of liberation of hostages is absolutely essential from a human point
of view. I know the suffering that’s related to that.”
As he has done repeatedly in
the past five months, Guterres again condemned the “horrible terror attacks” of
Oct. 7 by Hamas, but he also described Israel’s response as amounting to
collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.
“Israeli leaders have been
telling repeatedly they aren’t fighting the Palestinian people, they’re
fighting Hamas.
“If that’s the case, I can’t
understand how this is conducted in such a way that has led in Gaza to
reportedly around 28,000 people killed, 75 percent of the population displaced,
and the destruction of entire neighborhoods … I think there’s something wrong
in the way the military operations have been conducted.”
Asked whether Hamas, in
allegedly using civilians as human shields, bears responsibility for the high
death toll, Guterres said: “I’ve condemned the use of human shields. I even
said they’re a violation of international humanitarian law.
“But the same international
humanitarian law is clear that even when there are human shields, there’s an
obligation to protect civilians.
“So in that regard, I think
we’re abiding by principles without double standards. And I think it’s very
important to be credible, not to have double standards.”
On Jan. 26, in a case brought
by South Africa, the International Court of Justice issued what it called
emergency measures.
Although the ICJ did not
uphold South Africa’s request to order Israel to immediately halt its
operations in Gaza, it did instruct Israel to prevent its military from
committing acts that might be considered genocidal, to prevent and punish
incitement to genocide, and to enable humanitarian assistance to the people of
Gaza. The court also ruled that it had the legal right to proceed with the
genocide case.
Guterres expressed his “full
support” for the ICJ, and said it is the right entity to pronounce itself on
these issues.
“We fully support the
decisions of the International Court of Justice, and (it) is absolutely
essential that all the (court’s) decisions are implemented,” he added.
Guterres said while it is true
that the US is an ally to Israel, “and that has been said time and time again
by all leaders in the US and Israel,” it is also true, “and can testify it
myself, that there has been a lot of pressure by the United States in relation
to Israel in different areas of humanitarian aid.
“I remember several phone
calls (from) President (Joe) Biden to Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to
solve problems that we have on the ground and couldn’t solve by ourselves.
“And I can also testify that
there has been a clear pressure from the United States in order for full
respect of international humanitarian law.”
On whether Washington is using
its leverage strongly enough to get Israel to comply with international
demands, Guterres said: “I sincerely don’t know what’s exactly in their power.”
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