FOR the first time in decades, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter earlier this week.
Invocation of Article 99 enables a UN chief to raise to the Security Council any matter, which he believes threatens International Peace and Security.
It was followed by a subsequent vote to adopt an Arab-backed resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which received widespread support.
However, the United States vetoed the resolution and criticized the council for its failure to condemn Hamas.
US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said the resolution would allow Hamas to continue to rule Gaza and ‘only plant the seeds for the next war’.
Delegates from the Arab and Islamic groups expressed their frustration after calls for a ceasefire had been vetoed.
“In spite of all these things…today was a sad day in the history of the Security Council,” Riyad Mansour, Palestinian Ambassador, said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen condemned the vote and emphasized that the invocation of article 99 showed the UN chief’s one-sided stance and would prevent the collapse of Hamas.
“The invocation of Article 99, after it was not used for the war in Ukraine or for the civil war in Syria, is another example of Guterres’ biased and one-sided stance. A ceasefire at this time would prevent the collapse of the Hamas terrorist organization, which is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and would enable it to continue ruling the Gaza Strip,” according to Eli Cohen, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Israel has intensified its operations in Northern Gaza where interrogation and search for Hamas militants continue as the war enters its third month.
