Secretary-General of the U.N. Antonio Guterres issued an unusual formal warning to the Security Council on Wednesday regarding the global threat posed by the Gaza conflict.
In his letter to the council, Guterres expressed concern that the war could potentially worsen pre-existing risks to global security and peace.
He utilized Article 99 of the founding U.N. Charter, which grants him the authority to “bring any matter to the Security Council’s attention that, in his judgment, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that the article has been dormant for decades.
“We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system,” according to Guterres. Once more, he urged the declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire, stating that the consequences could be irreversible for Palestinians and for regional security.
Guterres’s letter to the Security Council, according to Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan, represents a “new moral low.” Erdan further stated, “The Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire is actually a call to keep Hamas’ reign of terror in Gaza.”
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the conflict posed regional and global threats to security.
Arab states are attempting to use Guterres’ warning as leverage to pressure the council into declaring a ceasefire within days.
The Security Council received a concise resolution draft from the United Arab Emirates, which sought to address the letter from Guterres by urging for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Palestinian militant Hamas-Israel conflict.
Last month, in order to permit the Security Council to pass a resolution advocating for the cessation of hostilities, the U.S. maintained an abstention.
Hamas released a number of hostages and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza during the seven-day pause, which concluded on December 1.