By Abayomi Azikiwe
Beginning in late September, New York City was buzzing with the presence of heads-of-states, international delegates and media personnel making their way to the United Nations headquarters in Midtown for the 80th anniversary sessions of this body formed in San Francisco in 1945.
Ahead of the UNGA there were the announcements that numerous European Union and other governments would formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The United Nations Secretary General opened the 80th session with his address which was reported on by Al Jazeera noting that:
“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the war on Gaza as unlike any other conflict he has witnessed during his tenure, warning of its devastating scale. He pointed to International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings that ordered Israel to prevent genocide, allow investigations and enable greater humanitarian access.”
After the UN Secretary General delivered his opening address, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Republic of Brazil was the first country to speak, which is in line with the annual tradition since 1955. Lula da Silva also focused attention on the situation in Gaza and Palestine as a whole.
The Brazilian president said in part during his address:
“No situation is more emblematic of the disproportionate and illegal use of force than the one occurring in Palestine. The terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas are indefensible from any angle. But nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies the ongoing genocide in Gaza. There, under tons of rubble, are buried tens of thousands of innocent women and children. International Humanitarian Law and the myth of the ethical exceptionalism of the West are also buried there.
“This massacre would not have happened without the complicity of those who could have prevented it. In Gaza, hunger is used as a weapon of war, and the forced displacement of populations goes on unpunished. I express my admiration to the Jews who, inside and outside Israel, oppose this collective punishment. The Palestinian people are at risk of disappearing. They will only survive with an independent State integrated to the international community.
“This is the solution defended by more than 150 UN members, reaffirmed yesterday, here in this very plenary, but barred by a single veto. It is regrettable that President Mahmoud Abbas was prevented by the host country of occupying the Palestinian bench at this historic moment. The spread of this conflict to Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Qatar is fueling an unprecedented arms build-up.”
Later the Republic of South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose government during December 2023 took the State of Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with charges of genocide, spoke extensively on the situation in Gaza. The Palestinian people have often been described as suffering from a similar form of “apartheid” that the South African and Namibian people fought against for decades.
Despite the ICJ ruling in January 2024 that the claims made by the South African government were plausible in regard to violations of the Genocide Convention, nothing has been done by the occupation regime in Tel Aviv to halt the bombing, shelling and the blocking food and medicines going into the Gaza Strip. Other rulings by the ICJ have called for the occupation of the West Bank and the war in Gaza to end. Nonetheless, the genocide continues in Gaza while the state-sanctioned violence on the part of zionist settlers intensify in the West Bank and other areas of Palestine.
Ramaphosa said of the situation involving the quest for Palestinian statehood:
“Therefore, as nations that have pledged to uphold the UN Charter, we have the ultimate responsibility to ensure and protect the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Consistent with the case that South Africa brought before the International Court of Justice, there is growing global consensus that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Just last week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. As Palestinians continue to face genocide and famine, we have a duty to act. We welcome the historic High-Level Meeting held yesterday on the Two-State Solution yesterday in this chamber. This reflects the determination of the global majority that Palestinians deserve a peaceful state alongside a peaceful Israel. The long overdue announcement by an increasing number of countries to recognize the State of Palestine is testament to this determination.”
Yet, despite these strong speeches calling for a shift in policies towards Palestine, the two key players, President Donald Trump of the U.S. and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were adamant in their opposition to the recognition of a Palestinian state. Both the U.S. and Israel called for more violence against the Palestinians and others living in the West Asia region.
When Netanyahu prepared to address the 80th session of the UNGA, the overwhelming majority of diplomats walked out of the venue. This response to the Israeli leader was a reflection of the widespread condemnation of the genocide in Palestine.
Demonstrations Outside the Venue Called for the Liberation of Palestine
Protests have been occurring outside the United Nations headquarters in New York for weeks, long before the 80th session of the UNGA began. During the sessions, thousands gathered in the streets to call for the arrest of the Israeli prime minister and for a complete break with the zionist apartheid state.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his address before the UNGA, proposed that an international military force be formed to intervene in Gaza to protect the Palestinians. For these remarks, the U.S. State Department revoked his visa that allowed him to travel to New York and speak before the 80th session.
Petro spoke to the crowds protesting the UNGA where he reiterated his proposal for military intervention on behalf of the Palestinians. Al Jazeera, in a report on this proposal, said of the current situation:
“In one video clip posted on Friday from a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City, Petro can be heard saying that Colombia plans to present a resolution to the UN seeking to establish an ‘army for the salvation of the world’, whose first job would be the ‘liberation of Palestine’. In an unofficial translation of his speech to protesters, Petro said that world nations will contribute soldiers to the army, which will ‘enforce the orders of international justice’, and that it must be ‘larger’ than the US military. ‘I ask all of the soldiers of the army of the U.S. not to point their guns at humanity. Disobey the orders of Trump. Obey the orders of humanity,’ the Colombian leader said.”
Other demonstrations occurred against sanctions on Zimbabwe, the war in Sudan, the blockade on Cuba and the increasing threats against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
African Union (AU) Members Call for a Permanent Seat on the Security Council
Although the AU member-states represent 1.4 billion people, the continent is still being denied a permanent seat on the Security Council. The demands from several AU members were the creation of two permanent seats on the UNSC to be occupied by African leaders.
A report published by the United Nations news agency said of the demands made by the AU:
“They articulated a compelling case, highlighting how the legacy of colonialism and its lingering effects have left the continent disproportionately excluded. This exclusion is not merely a matter of representation, it directly impacts Africa’s ability to influence discussions on critical issues, such as conflict resolution, climate change and sustainable development. The leaders emphasized the urgent need for the 15-member Security Council to reflect contemporary realities, arguing that its current structure is antiquated and ill-suited to address the complex challenges of the modern world. They pointed out that the failure to incorporate a broader spectrum of voices within the Council compromises the UN’s legitimacy and effectiveness, particularly in responding to Africa’s pressing peace and security challenges.
UNGA Votes to Expand International Police Force in Haiti
Unfortunately, on the final day of the UNGA 80th Session, the Security Council voted to expand the existing U.S.-backed police force which was sent into Haiti last year. The Republic of Kenya, despite broad domestic opposition, is allowing itself to be used by the White House by sending a police force into Haiti under the guise of curbing “gang violence.”
The problems in Haiti stem from the historical retribution of the imperialist states for its revolution led by the African enslaved population between 1791-1804. Haiti has been subjected to blockades, invasions and destabilization campaigns fostered by the U.S., France and Canada for more than two centuries.
One report on the vote outlined the countries which voted in favor of expanding the existing police force saying:
“The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday (Sept. 30) to authorize a much larger, 5,550-member international force with expanded powers to help stop escalating gang violence in Haiti.
“The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Panama, will transform the current Kenya-led multinational force into a ‘Gang Suppression Force’ with the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have. The vote was 12-0 with Russia, China and Pakistan abstaining. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the resolution’s adoption ‘offers Haiti hope’.”
The only hope for the people of Haiti and billions of other oppressed and exploited peoples around the world is the elimination of imperialism. The redistribution of political and economic power equitably will create conditions for peace and social stability throughout the globe.
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