The UN Security Council (UNSC) holds an emergency session on Sunday after Israel has requested for it to discuss Iran’s attack. Iran claims its attack a response to an Israeli raid on the Iranian consulate in Syria suggesting that this now be deemed concluded. Israel refuses its involvement in consulate attack.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan on Sunday addressed a letter to the Council’s president in this regard. It states “The Iranian attack is a serious threat to global peace and security. I expect the Council to use every means to take concrete action against Iran.”
Israel’s president Isaac Herzog in an interview declared the Iranian move as a ‘declaration of war’ stating “We were attacked last night from all the four corners of the Middle East with proxies shooting at us, firing ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles.â€
He said “an unbelievably brutal massacre against Israelis was launched on the 7th of October even though Israel is a peace seeker state.†While, the UNSC – a body of 15 members including China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States as permanent members and ten non-permanent members- quickly responding to this letter convened this requested meeting the very same day.
This quick response of the UNSC which is historic needs to be appreciated as it highlights how important is peace in the Middle East to this Council and why blocking Iran is mandatory. However, people around the world also observe this meeting from another perspective. They think that if this response of the UNSC is an extra mile step towards peace and security of the region then why thousands of people in the world are celebrating Iran’s attack on Israel? Why they are marching in support of Iran is their question.
What Iran and Israel did to each other looks like a separate matter to the UNSC than what is happening in Gaza. But how deeply both issues are connected is not such a fact that can easily be ruled out. So far more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,371 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
The rest population of the strip is without food, shelter and medical care. Their homes, hospitals, schools and asylum camps have been turned into debris. Can the world deny this fact especially when the UN’s resolution over seizing fire in Gaza still stands without implementation by someone? It can be said that this resolution may not get implemented at least shortly, as the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom and France are close allies of Israel in its war against the people of Gaza. Another reason behind this is that more than 50 UN member states have never been Members of the UNSC.
A State which is a member of the UN but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that county’s interests are affected. Both members and non-members of the UN, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council’s discussions. It is a condition for participation by a non-member State. However, another opinion emerging among the peace lovers in the world is that this emergency meeting of the UNSC looks like a walk over the blood of about 25,000 women and children of Gaza. So far all pushed to death in Gaza, about 80 percent of lives are innocent and do not belong to rival groups of Israel.
As far as observations of the UNSC meeting are concerned, the UK holds Iran responsible for sowing chaos in the region. The UK’s ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said this at this meeting reiterating that the UK will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and that of the regional partners. She maintained that Iran’s actions do nothing to advance the prospects for peace both in Israel and Gaza.
While the USA emphasized not letting Iran’s action go unanswered, Robert Wood -US Deputy Representative to the UN has said this besides reiterating that the USA will take additional measures to hold Iran accountable. Adding more he said that the UNSC must condemn the Iranian assault and call for to stop its attacks.
The UN Secretary-General observed that the people of the region were facing the danger of a devastating conflict. Now was the time to defuse and de-escalate and a time to show maximum restraint. Addressing the Council, the Secretary-General disclosed that the Permanent Representative of Iran also addressed a letter to the president of the UNSC stating that in the late hours of 13 April 2024, Iran carried out a series of military strikes on Israel’s military objectives. He said adding “I strongly condemn the Iranian attack on Israel and call for an immediate cessation of those hostilities.â€
He emphasized to avoid any further move that could lead to military confrontations. “We have a shared responsibility to secure an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,†the UN Secretary General maintained.
It is important to mention here that both Israel and Iran were allies until the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought in a regime that started opposing Israel as a key part of its ideology. Iran does not believe Israel’s right to exist and seeks its eradication. The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, previously called Israel a cancerous tumor. While Israel believes that Iran poses a threat to it as was evidenced by Iran’s rhetoric particularly in view of its installing proxy forces to let Israel meet destruction.
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif has authored this opinion piece)
