El Ciudadano
Original article: Con respaldo de 80.000 firmas: Ciudadanos exigen expulsar a Israel de la ONU por crímenes de guerra y genocidio en Gaza
On Monday, June 22, Nelson Hadad Heresy and Paula Abugattas, members of the group Lawyers for Palestine, along with Jihad Chahuán from the international initiative Sign for Palestine, held a hearing at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations headquarters in Chile.
During the session, they were received by the commission’s secretary, Luis Yáñez, to whom they formally submitted a presentation addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, supported by nearly 80,000 citizen signatures from Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
The submitted document calls for the activation of mechanisms outlined in the United Nations Charter regarding the dire situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in accordance with international law and recent statements from relevant bodies.
«It has been 78 years since the Nakba, the onset of the catastrophe that the Palestinian people have endured since the Israeli invasion. The situation has reached its lowest point, crossing all red lines with the genocide in Gaza, which has led to the deaths of over 90,000 individuals, mostly children and women,» said former Chilean ambassador to Arab countries, Nelson Hadad.
Specifically, this unprecedented action from Chile could lead to the suspension and even expulsion of Israel from the United Nations, a demand grounded in international legal order and in the historical responsibility of the United Nations to act when ordinary mechanisms have failed.
«Currently, the United Nations is completely blocked at the Security Council. Thus, this initiative that arises from the people, from civil society, aims to go beyond the Security Council and bring this debate and request to the UN General Assembly. This is an unprecedented procedure that has not been attempted before,» emphasized lawyer Paula Abugattas.
Background
On July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice declared the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful and affirmed that all states, as well as the United Nations itself, have the obligation not to recognize this situation, refrain from providing assistance, and actively cooperate to bring it to an end.
Subsequently, on September 18, 2024, the General Assembly supported this opinion with 124 votes, demanding Israel’s withdrawal within a maximum of 12 months. That deadline expired on September 18, 2025, with no compliance recorded, while occupation continues and the humanitarian crisis deepens.
In response to the ongoing failure to adhere to United Nations resolutions and the repeated paralysis of the Security Council due to the use of veto power, organized citizens have decided to appeal directly to the UN Secretary-General.
The presentation requests that he exercise the powers provided under Article 99 of the United Nations Charter to formally alert the Security Council to the severity of the situation and to advocate for necessary actions to ensure that member states consider the mechanisms outlined in Article 6 of the Charter and in Resolution 377 A (V) ‘Uniting for Peace’, created precisely to prevent the inaction of a few from paralyzing the international community’s response to threats to peace, massive human rights violations, and serious breaches of international law.
Sign for Palestine is a citizen initiative born in Chile that has quickly transcended national borders to become a global campaign.
The nearly 80,000 signatures supporting the communication do not originate from a state or diplomatic mission; they come from citizens of various backgrounds, cultures, and legal traditions, united by the conviction that impunity cannot be the final word in international law.
We will continue to provide updates.
La entrada Citizens Demand Israel’s Expulsion from the UN Over War Crimes in Gaza with 80,000 Signatures se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
🔥 Ver noticia completa en ElCiudadano.cl 🔥
