“Post-war” or “the day after” in Gaza is beginning to become a research theme for several observers on the international scene. Various proposals are being put forward, particularly within the framework of a UN intervention, but in reality, there is little chance that they will be implemented in the current state of things, says Eugene Chen, senior researcher at the Center for International Cooperation (CIC) from New York University.
Indeed, several proposals have been put forward recently, such as that of the creation of a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. The suggestion was made by the Arab League but was rejected by certain Arab countries refusing that the Palestinian territories and the West Bank be subject to such a measure or that they be placed under the supervision of the United Nations.
Likewise, it is difficult to imagine a UN intervention in Gaza without Israel accepting it, but Tel Aviv declared the Secretary General of the United Nations as “persona non grata”, without forgetting the attacks Israeli forces against the UN mission, UNIFIL in Lebanon. The Hamas movement which rules Gaza, for its part, announced its rejection of any foreign military presence on the Palestinian territory.
Describing the role the UN could play in Gaza’s future, the researcher seems to see very few outcomes without the consent of both parties in addition to the Security Council’s turnaround. “When faced with a crisis, member states often rush to obtain a concrete response in order to improve the situation,” he said as quoted by Diplomacy now, stressing that it is the political solution that must be sought after above all.
The researcher indicated that “while symbolic measures of support and immediate respite can be useful, it is important to remember that the underlying causes of complex crises are invariably political in origin”, hence the need for UN peace and security tools are deployed in support of political solutions to be truly effective.
“The hopes of a peacekeeping operation are slim as it stands. For now, the prospects for deploying a new peacekeeping operation in the occupied Palestinian territories are slim,” he said. According to him, the consent of the parties would be required, “a crucial element which is currently lacking”.
Other options may be considered by the Security Council, including expanding the current mandate of the United Nations Truce Supervision Agency (UNTSO), “but this option would likely face the same difficulties related to obtaining the consent of the parties in the Security Council” again.
Another option mentioned was that of the establishment of a UN trust territory for Palestine, however, this institutional mechanism of support for the trusteeship system has not been used since 1994, and several significant obstacles exist for the implementation of a guardianship option under Chapter XII of the Charter of the United Nations.
Eugene Chen, recalls that this guardianship option must be acceptable to the population of the territory in question according to Article 76 of the Charter, while explaining that the historical origins of this guardianship system are “very clearly associated with colonialism”. According to him, the stigma associated with UN supervision “can be difficult for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority to accept.”
In any case, he asserts that lasting peace cannot be imposed by force on the Palestinians. The Security Council recognizes this: “Last peace cannot be obtained through sustained military and technical commitments alone, but through political solutions.”
Only a credible political process could lead to effective solutions, and Eugene Chen recommends that member states “avoid the temptation of wanting to establish structures such as a peace operation or a trusteeship without the necessary political foundations”.
And concluded that stopping the fighting to allow the return of hostages and an end to the massacres of civilians in Gaza should be a priority, “but a ceasefire should be a means to an end and not an end in itself.”
