There is a lot at stake. Any misjudgment would be devastating
Gate Wennesland
The meeting was called by Brazil in the hope of discussing the crisis in the Middle East. But the powers that be cannot agree on how to handle the situation. According to Guterres, the situation is becoming increasingly difficult and there is a risk that tensions will spiral out of control.
There is no possibility for the Israeli government to talk about a ceasefire. In a speech to the council, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen refused to talk about a ceasefire, criticized the UN and made it clear that his country would win the war. “What would be the proportionate response to the killing of children? How do you agree to a truce with someone who wants to destroy you? The proportionate response would be the complete destruction of Hamas. This is not just our right. “But also our duty,” he said.
“The West is next. Today it was in Israel. Tomorrow they will be on every doorstep. Their (Hamas) dream is the world, just like the Nazis,” he said, calling on all countries to consider Hamas as terrorists. For him, this is a provocation that will lead to other forces joining the war.
The meeting was tense. Guterres explicitly condemned Hamas and the Israeli hostagetaking. “We demand that they be released immediately,” he said. However, he warned that the crisis “is not happening in a vacuum.” “Palestinians have lived under occupation for 56 years,” he said.
For him, however, neither the Palestinian cause nor Israel’s security argument justify violence. Guterres condemned Hamas and made it clear that the Palestinian population should not be used as human shields. But he also criticized Israel and warned that the order to evacuate a million people was unacceptable.
“No party is above the law,” he said.