Another Guterres Tenure Means Exploitation of the Palestinian Cause by Ramona Wadi!
(2021-06-12 at 23:12:18 )

Another Guterres Tenure Means Exploitation of the Palestinian Cause by Ramona Wadi!

For Mr. Guterres, who will most probably lead the United Nations for another five years, the two-state compromise remains the only avenue, albeit one that caters for Palestinian loss resulting in Israels territorial appropriation, Ramona Wadi writes.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has been selected by the Security Council for another term to lead the institution. Mr. Guterres, under who the catchphrase "There is no Plan B" garnered momentum for Israels colonial expansion, will now await formal approval by the United Nations General Assembly to resume his role.

Mr. Guterress vision statement - a generic overview of what the United Nations role should be in the next five years - illustrates how the institution exists to serve itself, rather than addressing the entrenched global injustices.

The coronavirus pandemic, which is one of Mr. Guterress main arguments in his statement, is one example of how the United Nations latches on to the most visible issues, while normalising decades of other situations which are swept out of sight with plans such as the Sustainable Development Goals for example - a set of aims and objectives which fail to take different political scenarios and consequences into consideration.

Palestine is one example.

Throughout Mr. Guterress term, Israels colonial expansion has usurped more Palestinian territory, aided by the Donald Trump Administrations concessions.

Rather than oppose the United States at a time when it was seemingly diverting away from the established consensus, Mr. Guterres upped his rhetoric against possible alternatives to the two-state compromise, knowing full well that the internationally-established paradigms contributed to the de-facto annexation of Palestinian territory.

The Abraham Accords also showcased Mr. Guterress pro-Israel diplomacy, hypocritically commending the move as creating "an opportunity for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to re-engage in meaningful negotiations that will realise a two-state solution in line with relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements."

In the same manner that the United Nations has diverted attention away from colonialism, Mr. Guterres is not planning on sparing efforts on the possibilities of decolonisation. At an international level, Palestine is no longer perceived as colonised territory and the humanitarian paradigm, which served the United Nations intentions, has become another means of encroachment upon the Palestinian peoples freedom.

Under Mr. Guterres, the United Nations exhibited no support for the International Criminal Courts investigations into war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The ensuing discord between two entities - one allegedly rights-based and the other concerned with criminal accountability - resulted in a situation where the United Nations is still promoting Israels security narrative and downplaying proof of war crimes, despite ample evidence that Israel has acted against international law in ways which constitute war crimes.

Settlement expansion is one example which the ICC will be investigating. The ICC, with all its flaws and bureaucratic delays, has managed to topple the illusion that Israel is acting out of security concerns, by stipulating that war crimes have indeed been committed.

What can Palestinians expect out of another Mr. Guterres tenure??

In terms of Covid-19, Mr. Guterres has warned against "business as usual," envisaging "a dystopian future in which rights and values are further eroded while the likelihood mounts of catastrophic risks."

Yet Palestinians have been coerced into a business as usual attitude that favours Israeli colonial expansion, and they have been living catastrophes for decades, to the point that the United Nations had already declared Gaza unliveable by 2020, while it refrained from holding Israel accountable for the recent destruction following the bombing of the enclave in May this year.

While Mr. Guterres relied on his "there is no Plan B" to silence Palestinian demands, Israels de-facto annexation of Palestinian territory encountered no international resistance, despite the war crimes implication.

For Mr. Guterres, who will most probably lead the corrupt institution for another five years, the two-state compromise remains the only avenue, albeit one that caters for Palestinian loss resulting in Israels territorial appropriation.

In the immediate future, the only trajectory which seems certain for Palestine is that Mr. Guterres will retain the legacy of abandoning Palestinians, and it will be done in the name of human rights and humanitarianism.

Reprinted here from the "Strategic Culture Foundation" provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs. We are covering political, economic, social and security issues worldwide. Since 2005 our journal has published thousands of analytical briefs and commentaries with the unique perspective of independent contributors. SCF works to broaden and diversify expert discussion by focusing on hidden aspects of international politics and unconventional thinking. Benefiting from the expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, critical thought and progressive ideas.