UN Security Council to meet amid clashes in Gaza

The UN Security Council (UNSC) will meet today to discuss possible ways to de-escalate the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Neither Hamas nor the Israeli government has moved towards de-escalating the past week’s violence, and Israel is threatening a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. As a result, the US postponed UNSC action until today in a bid to buy time to resolve the conflict. To facilitate talks between both sides, the US sent Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr to Tel Aviv on Friday.

International and US domestic support for Palestinians is growing as violence continues. Referring to Israel as an occupying power, the UN has expressed concerns over evictions in Palestinian territories and military strikes in Gaza violating International Humanitarian Law. At this point, an internationally mediated political solution, however unlikely, will most likely benefit the Palestinian side.

Israel has fought the occupying power narrative for decades, instead claiming Israeli sovereignty, which has significant implications in international law. In the short-term, expect a unified UNSC calling for de-escalation. In the long-term, the UN may provide security assurances for a new Palestinian state which would likely force Israel to accept a new political geography supportive of an independent Palestine.