AhlulBayt News Agency: Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine and head of the International Gaza Court initiative, has urged the international community to empower the UN General Assembly to protect Palestinians without being obstructed by the UN Security Council veto.
During a press conference in Istanbul on Friday, Falk voiced strong disappointment over the complicity of Western liberal democracies in what he described as Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
He stated that the court’s declaration calls for a UN General Assembly mandate that bypasses both the UNSC veto and the slow, technically limited process of the International Court of Justice.
Falk proposed a bold strategy: combining existing UN mechanisms with the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, first used during the Korean War in 1950 and again in the Suez Crisis of 1956. He emphasized its effectiveness during the Cold War in countering Soviet vetoes.
He added that the initiative aims to present this proposal at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York this September.
Urgency for bold action
Falk warned that without decisive structural intervention, the opportunity to save Palestinians in Gaza—who have endured genocide for 22 months—may be lost.
“We aim to awaken the conscience of all peoples,” Falk said, advocating for arms embargoes and global solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for fundamental rights.
The group plans to convene in Istanbul at the end of October, where a “jury of conscience” will issue authoritative rulings.
When asked about the UN’s responsibility to protect, Falk responded that the doctrine should be redefined to not only alleviate suffering but also empower Palestinians to claim rights such as self-determination.
He argued that Israel’s full occupation and denial of protection to Palestinians indicate that Gaza is not the final crisis, but a pivotal stage in a broader genocidal campaign.
Falk warned that Israeli aggression extends beyond Gaza and the West Bank, with rising concerns about a potential proxy war against Iran to distract from ongoing atrocities.
He accused Zionism of seeking Jewish supremacy by diminishing Palestinian presence both physically and politically.
Falk condemned Israel’s efforts to suppress journalism and obscure facts. He called for global isolation of Israel, excluding it from cultural, academic, and scientific platforms, and urged pressure on complicit corporations.
Shift in US public opinion
Falk noted a significant shift in American public sentiment, including among Jewish Americans, which is beginning to influence Congress toward a more balanced stance.
He described a divide between Congress and the White House, which continue to honor Netanyahu, and civil society, which increasingly views him as a war criminal comparable to Hitler.
The International Gaza Court initiative was launched in November 2023 in London, led by Richard Falk, Michael Lynk, Henri Fara, and scholars such as Noura Ereikat, Susan Akram, Ahmed Koçoğlu, John Reynolds, Diana Buttu, Jamil Eidan, and Benny Gantz.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has carried out a genocide in Gaza, supported by the US, involving mass killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement—despite global appeals and ICJ orders to halt.
The current toll includes 62,004 Palestinians killed, 156,230 injured (mostly women and children), over 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and 263 deaths from famine, including 112 children.
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