海角社区官网

This is a horrific reality, leaving people around the world stunned by the inability of international law and institutions to halt behaviour which major international human rights听听补苍诲听听鈥斕�� are calling 鈥済enocide.鈥澨�

Yet, despite the U.S. veto, there鈥檚 something that the world鈥檚 nations can do to stop this killing. And Canada could 鈥� and should 鈥� play a key role in helping that happen.

鈥淭he world need听not听surrender in the face of that (U.S.) veto,鈥� Craig Mokhiber, a former senior UN official,听听last week in the online journal听Mondoweiss.

Mokhiber, who spent more than 30 years as a human rights lawyer at the UN, notes that there is a little-used UN mechanism under which the nations of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) can get around the veto of a Security Council member.听

Known as the 鈥淯niting for Peace resolution,鈥� the measure would allow the general assembly, with a two-thirds majority, to authorize the creation of an armed, multinational UN force that could deploy to Gaza to protect civilians, open entry points via land and sea, preserve evidence of alleged Israeli crimes and facilitate humanitarian aid and reconstruction.听

Mokhiber points out that there are precedents, 鈥渕ost notably the UNGA鈥檚 mandating of the 1956 UN Emergency Force to the Sinai鈥� 鈥� in which Canada played a leading role.

Canadian External Affairs Minister Lester Pearson was instrumental in the creation of that UN force after France, Britain and Israel attacked Egypt in an effort to take back control of the Suez Canal, which Egypt had nationalized.

Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his role in resolving the crisis. This was also the听听of UN peacekeeping and Canada鈥檚 reputation as an influential middle power.听

惭辞办丑颈产别谤听听that, given this historical precedent 鈥渁nd the tradition of Canadian leadership in peacekeeping,鈥� Canada could play a 鈥渟pecial role鈥� in the creation of a UN force in Gaza.

Indeed, Canada鈥檚 involvement could help raise European support for the initiative, which has already been听听by Ireland.

In recent months, Canada, the U.K. and France have angered longtime ally Israel by jointly听听its 鈥渆gregious鈥� behaviour, and by indicating their听听to recognize Palestine as a state,听听for Palestinian statehood to more than 145 of the UN鈥檚 193 nations.

While recognition is important, it offers Palestinians no immediate protection from Israeli bombardment, nor does it open checkpoints so that the hundreds of trucks full of food can enter Gaza.听

As听The Times of Israel听听last month, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for extreme measures against anyone refusing to evacuate Gaza City: 鈥淣o water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender.鈥澨�

Of course, any new initiative to break the Israeli siege would be met with furious pushback from U.S. President Donald Trump. Like his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump has provided Israel with billions of dollars in arms to bomb Gaza, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, in response to the 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250.

And we know how malevolent Trump can be towards countries that don鈥檛 submit to his whims. As the听New York Times听听last week, Indian Prime Minister听Narendra听Modi declined Trump鈥檚 request last June to endorse Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, Trump has raised tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent.听

So, standing up to Trump is always perilous. On the other hand, if we want to save starving children, we might just have to grow a backbone.

听