Guardian Editorial: Israel’s continued efforts to undermine Palestinian aspirations for self-determination

An editorial in the British Guardian accused the Israeli occupation of undermining a vital institution like the United Nations regarding Palestinian refugees, in addition to the war against Lebanon, calling on countries that embrace their commitment to the rules-based international system to challenge Israeli attempts to weaken the international organization.

The United Nations is supposed to be above all these conflicts — a forum and mediator to reach peaceful solutions, or at least limit the damage. But over the past year, Israel has treated it as an annoyance at best and an adversary at worst.

She noted that UN peacekeepers are standing in the way of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon and refusing to leave, and that nearly 230 aid workers from the UN agency that supports the Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. Earlier this month, Israel declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata. In May, its outgoing ambassador to the UN tore up a copy of the charter.

According to the newspaper, the relationship between Israel and the United States has long been tense. Israel's alliance with the United States has also led Washington to use its veto power against the most important Security Council resolutions on most occasions.

The newspaper accused Israel of exerting pressure against UNRWA for a long time, objecting to its recognition of the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and is now in the process of banning it as a terrorist organization. The agency’s director, Philippe Lazzarini, says the ultimate intention is to undermine Palestinian aspirations for self-determination.

The Guardian described the UN as now an embattled institution, stuck on the sidelines in recent major conflicts. The Security Council has repeatedly reached a deadlock, with the US, UK and France on one side and Russia and China on the other. Western leaders have expressed concern about this weakness and paralysis, which is contributing to the deterioration of the rules-based international order. It stressed the need to confront any attempt to undermine it further.

Overall, the paper said, the United States has been unable to express its opinion so far—and Israel knows that it will receive financial and military support whatever it does, as Gérard Araud, a former French ambassador to Washington and representative to the United Nations, observed. The United States is likely to regret allowing the United Nations to be weakened even further.