Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an immediate meeting with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to overthrow Israel’s army actions in the West Bank, especially in the Jenin refugee camp. The main purpose of this meeting is the urgent international interface to stop human rights violations and humanitarian crises in Palestine and Gaza. The main points of discussion were Abbas’s appeal’s background, the details of Israel’s military operations, the reaction of the international community, and the wider ramifications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Destruction of the Israeli military in Jenin refugee camp
Similar to what happened in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army is hitting residential complexes in the Jenin refugee camp. The Jenin refugee camp has been a focal point of tensions between Israel-Palestine relations throughout the past. In the past few days, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has boosted the struggles to pull down the number of people in this camp and also wants to take out military assets from them.
Bashir Matahen, the Jenin municipality’s director of media and public relations, said earlier in the day that the Israeli army had destroyed 21 houses in three different camp neighborhoods. Israel also warned that “the explosions will continue, according to what the Israeli army has informed Palestinian officials.”
The president also urged the UN Security Council to step in immediately and fulfill its obligations to protect the Palestinian people internationally and to put pressure on the occupying state to halt its grave crimes, which include the expulsion of Palestinian citizens and the adoption of the ethnic cleansing policy, which is regarded by international law as a war crime and a genocide. Too much destruction and displacement occurred as a result of these operations, and now it is in the worst situation on the West Bank.
To avoid the escalation and tension that would ensue from this policy, which will have devastating implications for the entire area, the president urged the US administration to step in right away and order Israel to cease its destruction and displacement operations. The president of the US once again issued a warning about the peril of the occupying forces’ destructive actions and their grave consequences for the Palestinian people—the area as a whole, which will not bring about peace and security for anybody.
Global reactions to the crisis
There has been a mixed response from the international community to the worsening crisis. There have been few tangible steps taken in response to the humanitarian impact of Israeli operations, although certain countries and organizations have voiced their concerns. In the past, the UN has called emergency meetings to deal with Middle Eastern issues.
For example, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and many member states demanded an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at a meeting of the UNSC in July 2024. It is highlighting the unimaginable death toll among civilians and the waning chances for a two-state solution.
The UNSC’s geopolitical dynamics, where veto powers and conflicting country interests can obstruct definitive action, frequently determine how effective such petitions are.
Context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The recent actions in Jenin reflect the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian leadership relies on international organizations such as the UNSC to use multilateral diplomacy, overcome power imbalances, and seek retribution for perceived injustices. Previous inaction or delayed responses demonstrate the limitations of international procedures, highlighting the difficulties in resolving this long-standing issue.
Israel views the Jenin operations as part of a security framework designed to eliminate extremist threats. But the wider effects on Palestinian people and the ensuing international censure may worsen isolation and feed retaliatory cycles. That year, Israel conducted a military operation against the Jenin camp and destroyed it, coinciding with the Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
Local Palestinians have already said that the disaster they are experiencing is even worse than the one that occurred in 2002. At least 25 Palestinians were killed when the Israeli army attacked Jenin City and its refugee camp on January 21. Three Palestinians were murdered when the offensive was eventually extended to the city of Tulkarm.
After 15 months of Israel’s murderous assault in Gaza, which claimed over 47,400 Palestinian lives and left the enclave in ruins, a truce and prisoner exchange agreement was reached on January 19, which sparked the escalation in the West Bank.
