Can the United Nations bring security to the Middle East?'
Summary of a meeting in the House of Commons 10th October 2006
Over 75 people
came to the House of Commons to hear three speakers and their host, Alan
Simpson MP, tackle this thorny subject. The
meeting was the first in what is hoped will be several dealing with the situation
in Palestine and its effect on the wider Middle
East.
Betty Hunter, General
Secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, referred to the 'brutal' war on
Lebanon and Palestine; international action was essential. A UN conference of NGOs held in Geneva in September
called for action including: a protection corps for Palestine; an end to
the arms trade to the region; and support for an international campaign of
boycott, divestment and sanctions. A recent report from the UN's special
rapporteur, John Dugard, highlighted the desperate situation in Palestine and said that
despite Israel's repeated flouting of international humanitarian law, the UN was
unwilling or unable to act. He has
appealed to the wider world for action. Israel
continues to enjoy 'special status' - it has hundreds of nuclear warheads and a
nuclear submarine has been bought from Germany recently.
The state of Israel was accepted by the UN on condition that the rights of refugees
were respected, yet Israel imposes its discriminating laws even against its own Arab citizens.
Only by ending the impunity which Israel
enjoys will its expansionist policy be changed. Meanwhile the UN, EU and the US
collectively punish the Palestinians. This has led to the oppressed being
demonised by the international community while the oppressor was supported – a reversal
of roles.
Chris Doyle is director
of the long-established Council for Arab British Understanding, a key
organisation supported by many British and Arab diplomats. He said that most UN member states support the
rights of Palestine to independence. However the
UN, in dealing with the Middle East, has devoted more time to supporting Israel
than any other issue. The UN has to
change; it still reflects conditions at the time it was set up in 1945, but it remains
the legal safeguard of Palestinian support, and the many resolutions against
the Israeli occupation and ill treatment of Palestinians must be revived and
applied. Chris questioned whether the billions of dollars ploughed into the Middle East, where 13 UN
agencies are operating, are giving real value.
He ended with several recommendations: Palestine should be made the 193rd member of the UN; refugees should be put under
a UN protectorate mandate; there should be a UN protection force. Finally, he said, the UN should call an international
peace conference which would "re-establish the UN as the prime organisation dealing
with this issue".
Bruce Kent, a
founder of Action for UN Renewal and now a patron, said that the UN could bring security - that was what it
was founded to do. The obstacle is that
a major power could exercise its veto to stop the UN from acting. Israel's old testament view of its place in the world should be challenged.
For the UN to keep us properly informed
about serious world issues the UN Information office (UNIC) for Britain should
be re-established in London.
Alan Simpson MP first
assisted Action for UN Renewal early in 2000 when he hosted the inaugural
meeting of the campaign that combined Renew UN and the Forum for UN Renewal. Referring to the contributions from the
earlier speakers he said that it was good to have 'propositional' as a change
from 'oppositional' politics. The real
dilemma is whether the two-state solution is possible, especially as both
states see Jerusalem as their capital and Israel is
unwilling to entertain this. There must be an international social justice campaign
on a consistent basis. No progress on a Middle East nuclear weapons-free
zone could be made without consideration of Israel's
illicit nuclear weapons. Alan said that
removal of the UN from the United States has to be one aim of UN reform. Financial aid which is often promised by
member states but not delivered is one of the problems that the UN should
solve. Delivering aid is so important that Mr Simpson thought we should take it
to Palestine unilaterally and challenge the Israeli forces to prevent it.
Proposals for
reform and for progress in re-establishing Palestine rights made
by those taking part will be taken to a further meeting. These would include the suggestion for a UN General
Assembly debate on the Middle East and a recommendation for a UN High Level Panel which would include
all interested parties, proposed by Action for UN Renewal.
Jim Addington (chair) Action for UN Renewal