Contents

1. Introduction to committee
2. Introduction to topic
3. Background and History
4. Role of International System
5. Key Issues
6. Landmark UN Resolutions
7. Current Situation
8. The position of Human Rights in the region
9. Stance of different countries
10.Possible Solutions
11. Conclusion
12. Reference

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Introduction to the committee:

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was established by the UN General
Assembly with the passing of resolution 60/251 in 2006. The first UNHRC session occurred in
June of that year. Over the course of 2006 and 2007, its mechanisms and functions were formed,
and it was established as an “intergovernmental body within the United Nations system
responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe
and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on
them”. The main objective of the UNHRC is to draw attention to human rights issues, discuss
them, and give suggestions about how to properly address them and provide justice to those
affected. The council is composed of 47 UN Member States elected by the General Assembly.
The UNHRC replaced the UN Commission on Human Rights, which was created in 1946 to
“weave the international legal fabric that protects our fundamental rights and freedom”. Some
reforms implemented in the UNHRC included the Universal Periodic Review mechanism,
which allows the UNHRC to investigate human rights situations in all UN Member States.
Another was the Advisory Committee, which serves as the UNHRC’s “think tank” to offer
“expertise and advice on thematic Human rights issues”. A system to process “complaints” was
also added, where human rights Violations could be brought to the attention of UNHRC.
Finally, the UNHRC works with UN Special Procedures, which include special rapporteurs,
representatives, independent experts, and working Groups which look to monitor human rights
around the world. Fundamentally, the purpose of the UNHRC is to promote international human
rights standards.
UN Human Rights is mandated:
 Promote and protect all human rights for all.
 Recommend that bodies of the UN system improve the promotion and protection of all
human rights.
 Promote and protect the right to development.
 Provide technical assistance to States for human rights activities.
 Coordinate UN human rights education and public information programs.
 Work actively to remove obstacles to the realization of human rights and to prevent the
continuation of human rights violations.
 Engage in dialogue with Governments in order to secure respect for all human rights.
 Enhance international cooperation for the promotion and protection of all human rights.
 Coordinate human rights promotion and protection activities throughout the United
Nations system.
 Rationalize, adapt, strengthen and streamline the UN human rights machinery.

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Introduction to topic:

The Israel-Palestine conflict, also called as the “Question of Palestine”, has concerned the UN
since the organization’s foundation in 1947. It has remained in their agenda until today and
remains highly controversial. area of Palestine (particularly the capital Jerusalem) is considered
a holy site for both Jewish and Muslim people and has been viciously fought over by both
religious groups since the end of World War I. However, the Arab-Israeli conflict was driven
primarily by an interest in territorial gains that contradict each other, since the region holds a
strategic place geographically: connecting the Mediterranean to much of the Arabian Peninsula
and bridging the road from Egypt to Syria. The complex nature of this issue has led many to
believe that peace between the two is inconceivable and unachievable. Nevertheless, the
situation as it is today, where Palestine is not a part of Israel and yet not fully independent and
where frequent clashes disrupt the peace, is not sustainable in the long term. Recently, in
particular, there have been increasing concerns on the part of the international community over
the legality of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

The matter of Israel-Palestine relations has long been addressed by the Security Council, which
counts upon the participation of a wider range of countries and has traditionally dealt with
matters of peacebuilding and international politics, was assigned the privilege of addressing
both the conflict at large and the specific question of Israeli settlements. Questions posed by
the conflict concern the development of modern statehood, the necessity of international
recognition, the security of state borders as Palestine remains occupied territory.

Background and History:

The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lie already in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The conflict was caused by the birth of major nationalist movements among the Jewish as well
as among the Arabs whereby both aimed to create a sovereign state for their people in similar
regions in the Middle East. At that time, there was global nationalist movement going on as
people from around the world began to identify themselves as nations and strive to become
independent. Furthermore, members of the Jewish diaspora sought to create their own state with
real borders, rather than being a nation spread around the world. After the Second World War,
this new movement in which they tried to identify a place where Jews could come together to
form an independent nation grew stronger. The region of Palestine with important religious
sites such as the city of Jerusalem seemed, to be the best location. The Jewish nationalist
movements, also known as Zionist movements, had already started in 1882 with the first mass
immigration of European Jews. Conflict started to boil up in 1947 with the emergence of
Palestinian nationalism which has its roots in the 1920s, and escalated when other Arab states
started to get involved. The conflict developed into a crisis between Palestinian Arabs and
Israelis in the region.

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After the Collapse of Ottoman Empire(1923)
After having been under Ottoman rule for many years, the area came under British rule during
the 1st World War, as stated in the Sykes-Pikot Agreement between Britain and France in 1916.
The British planned to divide the territory into a made two parts – the Arab state Transjordan
(as promised in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence in 1915) and the Jewish Palestinian
state (as promised in the Balfour Declaration of 1917). Although several attempts were made
to reconcile both sides to implement this decision such as the Paris Peace Conference in 1919,
the London Conference (1920) and finally the San Remo Conference (1920), no agreement was
ever lastingly achieved. The Faisal-Weizmann Agreement, which established the British
Mandate and called for a demarcation of the borders for these areas by a special commission
therefore was signed by all parties in 1919 but never implemented. Under arising conflicts and
in the aftermath of World War II, the British government decided to terminate their mandate in
1947 and referred to United Nations for all matters regarding the future of Palestine. In reaction
to this, UN formed United Nations Special Committee on the Status of Palestine (UNSCOP).

It proposed a Partition Plan to the UN General Assembly. The

proposal recommended a partition with Economic Union of
Mandatory Palestine to follow the termination of the British
Mandate. On 29 November 1947, the U.N. General Assembly
adopted a resolution recommending the adoption and
implementation of the Plan as Resolution 181(II). The
recommendation in the resolution included the creation of the
independence of the two states, Israel and Palestine, and an
International Regime (Corpus Separatum) for the city of
Jerusalem.
The Partition Plan, a four-part document attached to the
resolution, provided for the termination of the British Mandate,
the progressive withdrawal of British armed forces and the
delineation of boundaries between the two States and Jerusalem.
Part I of the Plan stipulated that the Mandate would be terminated
as soon as possible and the United Kingdom would withdraw no
later than 1 August 1948. The new states would come into
existence two months after the withdrawal, but no later than 1
October 1948. The Plan sought to address the conflicting

This land is internationally objectives and claims of two competing movements: Arab recognized as
Land in the lighter
belonging to Israel nationalism in Palestine and Jewish nationalism. The Plan also
shade
called for Economic Union between the proposed states, and for represents territory within the
borders of Israel at the the protection of religious and
minority rights. The Plan was conclusion of the
1948 war. accepted by the Jewish public, except for its fringes, and by the Jewish Agency despite
its perceived limitations. Arab leaders and

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governments rejected the resolution and indicated an unwillingness to accept any form of plan
of partition in the territorial division.
Their reason was that it violated the principles of national self-determination in the UN charter
which granted people the right to decide their own destiny. Immediately after adoption of the
Resolution by the General Assembly, the civil war broke out. The partition plan was not
implemented.

Palestinian Liberation Organization

The Palestinian Liberation Organization was formed in 28th of May, 1964. Their main objective
was to establish a Palestinian state and they didn’t hesitate to resort to violence and terrorism.
PLO wanted to end Israel entirely and claim the land for Palestinians. Combat between PLO
and Israel went on for years including an Israeli offensive against Lebanon to wipe out the group
from Beirut in 1982. After many years of warfare PLO accepted dividing the land between
Israel and Palestine but unfortunately this couldn’t put an end to the
conflict.

Six – Days War (1967)

In 1967, the Six-Day War broke out in which Israel took the West Bank, Gata Sinai, East
Jerusalem and the Golan. Regarding these threats and invasions, the Security Council
unanimously adopted Resolution 242 sponsored by the United Kingdom. It stressed five
different principles: withdrawal of Israeli forces, peace within secure and recognized
boundaries, freedom of navigation, a just settlement of the refugee problem and security
measures including demilitarized zones. The last Security Council action was in 1973 adopting
Resolution 338 which called for a ceasefire in the Yom Kippur War, which broke out in 1973
and constituted an attempt by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel
from October 6 to 25. With the exception of isolated attacks on Israeli territory on 6 and 9
October, the military combat actions during the war took place on Arab territory, mostly in the
Sinai and the Golan Heights. Egypt's stated goal for the war was the expelling of the Israeli
forces occupying Sinai. In 1974, the UN General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognised the
right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty in
Palestine. This was another milestone in the international realm that officially acknowledged
the UN’s contact with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and made them the official
representative of the Palestine people to the UN, as well as adding the ‘Question of Palestine’
to the UN agenda. Even though U.S. action is still preventing Palestine from becoming an
official member state, something the PLO is still fighting for, they were granted Non-member
Observer Status on the 29th of November 2012 by the United Nations Member States. The move
was considered mostly symbolic, and although United States and Israeli Governments strongly
contested this measure, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed support for it.

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Israeli Settlers

While the PLO – Israel conflict was still happening something sensational was going on in
Israel occupied Palestinian land. Israelis were settling down in Gaza and West Bank and they
didn’t care about Palestinians’ opinion. Some of the Israelis moved into these territories for
religious reasons, some did because the low housing prices due to Israeli government’s financial
support and some did because they wanted to claim these lands for Israel. Some settlements
were big cities and some were small communities. The settlers from Israel came with military
soldiers to protect them and this affected Palestinians badly as their communities were being
divided forcefully. This made the Israeli occupation much more difficult for Palestinians. Today
there are more than 600,000 Israeli settlers in 143 locations in the West Bank (132) including
East Jerusalem (11) even though settlements are illegal according to international law as
reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016).

Role of the International System

Camp David Accords

In 1978 Israel and Egypt signed the US-brokered Camp David Accords. Israel gave the Sanai
back to Egypt in result of the peace treaty. This meant a great deal as it was deeply controversial
to the Arab world. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was assassinated because of the outrage
against it. Over the next few decades, other Arab nations made peace with Israel even though
there were no peace treaties signed by the nations. However, this didn’t change the fact that
Israeli forces were still occupying Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. this is
when the conflict became an Israeli-Palestinian problem.

First Intifada (1987-1993)

In 1987 Palestinian stress broke out into the Intifada, meaning ‘’uprising’’ in Arabic. Initially
it wasn’t much of a threat to anybody’s livelihood consisting of boycotts and protests but soon
became dangerous. Israel couldn’t overlook such violence and responded with heavy force.
Hundreds of Israelis and over a thousand Palestinians lost their lives in the process. It was about
this time when a group of Palestinians in Gaza thought PLO was too secular and too
compromise-minded and because of this they founded Hamas, a violent extremist organization
devoted to Israel’s destruction.

Oslo Accords 1&2 (1993)

After the First Intifada it was clear that both sides had to make peace. That’s when leaders from
both sides signed the Oslo Accords. This was meant to be the first leap towards Israel potentially
withdrawing from Palestinian land and ultimately making way for an independent Palestine.
The Oslo Accords authorized the Palestinian Authority granting Palestinians slight bit of

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freedom to manage themselves in certain areas. Hard-liners on both nations ran counter to the
Oslo Accords. Members of Hamas used suicide bombers to try to jeopardize the process. Israeli
rightists protested peace talks, called Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin a traitor and a Nazi. After
the signing of Oslo 2, a far-right Israeli shot Rabin to death in Tel Aviv. This was an example
of how both sides could use violence to prevent peace.

Second Intifada (2000-2005)

Camp David II in 2000 was meant to bring peace onto these lands for good. When it failed,
Palestinians were left hopeless. They thought that peace wasn’t coming anytime soon and this
resulted in a Second Intifada which was much more violent and chaotic than the First Intifada.
By the time it diminished a few years later, there were around 1000 Israelis and 3200
Palestinians dead. This had a massive effect on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israelis started
to believe that Palestinians were never going to accept peace as an option. Israeli politics drifted
right, they started to build walls and checkpoints which are used to manage Palestinians. That
same year Israel pulled out of Gaza leaving Hamas in charge after a civil war between the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas. This divided Gaza and West Bank as Hamas ruled Gaza and
Palestinian Authority ruled over West Bank. Israel put Gaza under a blockade and
unemployment skyrocketed to 40 percent.

Abraham Accords (2020)

The signing of the Abraham Accords ushered in a transformation in the relationship between
Israel and the world’s Arab nations. With the United States’ strong bi-partisan support, over the
course of four short months, between August and December 2020, four countries followed
Egypt and Jordan’s bold leadership and moved to initiate the diplomatic process to normalize
bilateral ties with Israel. In signing these agreements, the United States, the UAE, Bahrain, and
Israel, shortly followed by Kosovo, Sudan, and Morocco, signalled a new era of warm peace
and prosperity with unlimited economic opportunities.
The Accords provide the pathway to the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict and a future of peace,
tolerance, and opportunity in the Middle East and around the world.

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Key Issues
Territory- The first key issue of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the territorial
dispute according to the establishment of
the Palestinian State. The
Jewish population have continued
to set up settlements in the West Bank
even though the territory belongs to
Palestine.
Gaza is a small enclave that abuts the
Mediterranean Ocean and Egypt to the
southwest. It is one of the most densely
populated areas in the world, with close to
1 million people.
Poverty and unemployment
are rampant. The Islamic Palestinian party,
Hamas, is very strong in Gaza. There are
only a few Jewish settlements in Gaza and they are guarded by thousands of Israeli soldiers.
Israeli settlements continue to encroach on what
was recognised as Palestinian Grounds in the
Partition Plan
The West Bank is situated west of the Jordan River and Dead Sea, and east of most of Israel.
Israel has occupied the land since its victory in 1967. It is now home to 2.1 million people, over
200,000 of whom are Jewish settlers. Of the 1.9 million Palestinians, over 500,000 are refugees,
many still living in refugee camps. The economy is largely agricultural. Until the past two years,
both Palestinian and Jewish residents who live in the West Bank crossed the border into Israel
each day to work. Now only Jews can do so.
Israel’s population is about 6.6 million. 5.3 million are Jews and 1.3 million are Arabs and
others(such as Druze). If Israel were to absorb the territories it currently occupies, its population
would be about 9.7 million, with 4.2 million non-Jews.

Security - Israel says that it cannot accept Palestinian authority over the occupied territories
if the security of Israeli citizens is not guaranteed. Thus, the Israeli government continues to
hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for the attacks on civilians in Israel. In addition, even
if the borders of Israel were more secure, Israel does not trust the Palestinians to ensure the
security of Jewish settlements. On the other hand, Palestinians do not believe that Israel will
ever allow true self-determination. Even as Israel withdrew troops from some major cities in
the West Bank, soldiers continued to protect Jewish settlements. In fact, most Palestinians claim
that there was never any Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, merely redeployment.
For the past two years, to ensure security, the occupied territories have been under a near total
“lock-down.” Palestinians, who depend on work in Israel, cannot travel there any more. Often,
Palestinians cannot travel from town to town. Israeli military checkpoints are omnipresent.

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Military curfews are often imposed and schools shut down frequently. The economic
consequences for Palestinians have been devastating. The average income of a Palestinian in
the occupied territories is now 10% of that of an Israeli.

Settlements - The first settlements in the occupied territories sprang up shortly after the 1967
war, and were intended essentially as security outposts. Today, the figure is close to 210,000
settlers, almost all of whom are in the West Bank. Most of the settlements close to Jerusalem
and Tel Aviv house Israelis who moved there because the housing was cheaper and the
commutes to jobs easier. Many of those who live in more remote settlements strongly believe
that Israel has a right to this land and have worked very hard to undermine any peace agreement
that would cede territory to Palestinians.

Refugees and the right of return - Nearly three million Palestinians are refugees. Half
a million live in the West Bank; the rest are mostly in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan or
are spread elsewhere in the Middle East and the west as part of a large Palestinian Diaspora.
Most of the refugees either lost their homes in 1948 or are the descendants of those who lived
within the borders of the state of Israel. Some became refugees after the occupation of the West
Bank and Gaza in 1967.

Jerusalem - In the original UN partition plan, Jerusalem was to remain under international
authority because of its prime status for the religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In
1948 the state of Israel controlled the western part of Jerusalem while Jordan controlled the
eastern part, including the old city, home to the most important holy sites of the three religions.
Israel wants to maintain sovereignty and control over all of Jerusalem while the Palestinians
want sovereignty over East Jerusalem and to establish it as the capital of a Palestinian state.
East Jerusalem is majority Arab but new Jewish settlements have been built to help solidify the
Israeli claim to the whole city.

Incitement - Hateful language, propaganda, and images emanating from school books, the
media, and from religious authorities on both sides have led to violence that has rapidly
increased in the past two years. True peace and reconciliation are impossible in such an
environment. A major part of the problem is that when the Oslo peace process was underway,
many people in both communities saw little benefit from peace. From 1992-2000, the standard

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of living for the average Palestinian declined in half while Israelis saw a rise in violence during
that same period.

Landmark UN Resolutions

• The first resolution came on 20 November 1947. Called the UN Partition plan, this
supported a division of Palestine. One part would be Palestine, another Israel, and then
Jerusalem itself would be held under international control to prevent conflict over the
holy land.
• Resolution 242 was unanimously adopted on 22 November 1967 and sought to end the
hostilities between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon as well as withdraw Israeli
forces from occupied territories and aid the resettlement of refugees.
• In 1973 the Security Council voted in favor of Resolution 338 in an effort to cause a
ceasefire during the Yom Kippur War. A ceasefire did not occur until the push by
Resolution 339.
• In 1974, the General Assembly granted the Palestine Liberation Organization observer
status but is still not considered a full member state. This approval has allowed the
PLO to participate in the majority of meetings but not vote.
• With Resolution 3376, the UN General Assembly created the Committee on the
Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) in 1975.
CEIRPP encourages the enabling of Palestinians to return to their homes and exercise
national sovereignty. The committee, composed of over 40 UN states and observer
states, has strongly supported the objective, affirmed in Security Council resolution
1397 (2002), of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side within secure and
recognized borders.
• The Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements was signed
on 13 1993, by the Israeli government and Palestinian Liberation Organization in a
joint negotiation effort. The accord did not offer statehood to Palestine but allowed for
the creation of an interim self-government of the Palestinian National Authority. The
Declaration gave them authority over select territory and called for a withdrawal of
Israel from the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
• On 29 November 2012, the General Assembly voted with 138 in favor of according
Palestine as a non-member observer state in the United Nations.

Current situation

The most pressing issue that remains are Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. What started
as a few Israelis toeing over the border line and building homes, escalated to a point where

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nearly 10% of the Israeli population lives either in West Jerusalem or the West Bank. When the
settlements first began they were small encampments in Palestinian territory, but today they are
often the size of cities and are filled with middle class Israeli homes. To make matters worse,
the Israeli government fails to discourage, and at some points even encourages, the migration
of their citizens to the West Bank. These settlements undermine the possibility of any peace
accord or a two-state solution, given that Israeli citizens in those areas offer a pretext through
which the Israeli military can exert their presence in Palestinian territory. While the
international community, including their long term ally – the United States, has actively
condemned Israel for these settlements, they continue to expand and, in doing so, threaten the
possibility of Palestinian autonomy.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine have increased during 2022 and 2023. The violence has
fuelled speculation that another ‘intifada’ could be imminent. Intifada refers to two previous
uprisings in 1978 and 2000 by Palestinians against Israel. Tensions in Jerusalem flared after
Israeli police attacked worshippers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound overnight during the holy
month of Ramadan. The raids continued and Israeli forces were once again seen assaulting and
pushing Palestinians out of the compound and preventing them from praying – before Israelis
were allowed in under police protection.

Hamas-Israel Escalation October 2023

Although it happened at a time of soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions, Hamas on 7 October
attacked West Bank without warning. Hamas said it launched 5,000 rockets in an initial
barrage. Israel’s military said 2,500 rockets were fired. The fact that it has taken so many
Israelis captive is likely to be aimed at pressuring Israel to free some of the about 4,500
Palestinians held in Israeli prisons - a highly emotive issue for all Palestinians.

There is also speculation that the attack was orchestrated by Iran - Israel's arch-foe - though
Iran's ambassador the UN has denied his country's involvement. Iran and Hamas also staunchly
oppose the growing prospect of a historic peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia -
something which might be thwarted if Israel's military response to the attacks provokes
widespread anger in the Arab world.

Recent Updates and Developments

 The Israeli military said it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and was
imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, in a sign it may be planning a ground assault
in response to the devastating weekend attack by Hamas gunmen.

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  Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900. In
Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel has killed more than 500 people since Saturday (October
7, 2023).

 Israeli fighter jets, helicopters and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad
targets in Gaza overnight. The Palestinian health ministry said more than 400 people
including scores of children had been killed in the attacks since Saturday, which it said
also hit housing blocks and a mosque.

 Israel has called in around 100,000 soldiers, said military spokesperson Lieutenant
Colonel Jonathan Conricus.

 Israel has announced a “total” blockade of the already besieged Gaza Strip, including a
ban on food and water.

 The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for an
operation at the Lebanon-Israel border.

International Response
 The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has met behind closed doors in an
emergency session amid the war between Israel and Gaza but failed to achieve the
unanimity needed for a joint statement.

 Iran has denied any role in the brutal surprise attack by Hamas but has welcomed the
news, reportedly with celebrations of what Iranians are calling a Palestinian victory.

 In a surprising turn of events, Saudi Arabia has announced the end of all negotiations
regarding the normalization of relations with Israel. The decision to terminate talks was
conveyed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, marking a setback to recent US
efforts to broker peace and diplomatic ties between the two nations

 U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the
second straight day on Sunday, offering "my full support for the people of Israel in the
face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists." The United States
will send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support,
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that talks on a two-state
solution that delivered for the peaceful co-existence of Israel and Palestine were the only
way forward once hostilities had terminated.

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  Qatari mediators have held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women
and children seized by the militant group and held in Gaza in exchange for the release
of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel's prisons, a source briefed on the talks
told Reuters. An Israeli official said no negotiations were under way.

 Israel and Western countries said nothing justified the intentional mass killing of
civilians. The European Commission said it was putting all of its development aid for
Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($729 million), under review and immediately
suspending all payments following Hamas' attack on Israel.

Impact: Global Markets roiled, flights suspended

 Fears of a widening conflict threatened more volatility for investors, adding to
uncertainty ahead of corporate earnings season and crucial U.S. inflation data later in
the week.

 Oil prices jumped more than 4%, gold gained and the U.S. dollar edged up against the
euro as military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
fueled some worry that the conflict could spread beyond Gaza.

 Oil prices were up more than $3 a barrel in Asian trade on Monday as the violence
deepened political uncertainty across the Middle East and raised concerns about
supplies from Iran

 Tech companies operating in Israel were expected to fortify security as they could face
disruptions, said investors and analysts.

 Major international air carriers suspended or reined in flight services to or from Tel
Aviv, saying they were waiting for safety conditions to improve. The Israeli military
on Monday said it struck hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza
Strip overnight and had sent four combat divisions south where it continued to battle
the Islamist militants. The death toll from the fighting stands at 1,400.

The position of Human Rights in the region

The violation of many humans rights in the region is an unarguable fact. Doesn’t matter from
which side they are from, people are facing various types of violence unwillingly. Children,
women, elders, the defenseless and so on… In order this guide not to deviate from its aim and

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stay objective, there will not be examples of the violations. Both sides have in some ways
committed crimes but we are neither here to expose nor blame any side. Each side might
naturally believe what they do is the right thing. However no matter for what cause it is,
violation of human rights are not acceptable. Considering this inadmissible case is still ongoing,
our priority is to stop the violation of the human rights in the region and find a permanent
solution so that things will never turn back to what they are right now.

How bad is the humanitarian situation in Gaza?

Gaza, a small territory of about 139 square miles (360 square kilometers), or roughly the size
of the city of Detroit, was already experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis before the current
hostilities broke out. As a result of a sixteen-year blockade by Israel, about 95 percent of the
population cannot access clean water, while more than half of all Gazans depend on
international assistance for basic services. Additionally, some 80 percent of Gaza’s residents
are considered refugees under international law, and Palestinians overall compose the largest
stateless community in the world.

Since Hamas’s attack, the situation in Gaza has become a “catastrophe,” UN Secretary-General
António Guterres said. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry, as of
November 10, Israel’s retaliation has killed at least 11,070 people, two-thirds of them women
and children, while some 2,650 others have been reported missing. These figures could not be
independently verified, but outside sources have also put the death numbers in the thousands.
At least forty journalists and media workers have also been killed, as well as more than one
hundred UN employees. Hamas’s assault killed around 1,200 Israelis, around 70 percent of
them civilians.

Israel has imposed a complete siege of the territory, cutting off electricity and water, and
supplies of food and medicine are dwindling fast. Without fuel, meanwhile, Gaza’s only power
station has gone dark. The lack of electricity has shut down desalination and waste-water
treatment plants, further compromising access to safe drinking water. Israeli air strikes have
destroyed neighborhoods, schools, and mosques, though the Israeli military has said that it is
only targeting weapons storage centers and infrastructure used or occupied by Hamas militants.
However, Israeli air strikes targeting residential buildings and medical facilities have resulted
in numerous civilian casualties.

By the second week of November, Gaza’s health system was reported to have collapsed, with
hospitals running low on rationed fuel reserves and medical supplies. Northern Gaza’s two
major hospitals have already greatly exceeded capacity, and hospitals in the south are also
overflowing. Beginning in November, Israeli strikes have targeted al-Shifa Hospital, the
largest and best-equipped hospital in Gaza. Israeli officials claim Hamas has a command center

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beneath the facility. Meanwhile, a dispute between Israel and health authorities in Gaza over a
potential fuel delivery has delayed fuel from reaching the hospital, from which thousands of
people have fled. Israel’s energy minister said on October 12 that electricity, fuel, and water
would not be provided to Gaza until all hostages—totaling roughly 240 people—held by Hamas
are freed.

What are the refuge options for Palestinians in Gaza?

On October 13, Israel ordered more than one

million people living in northern Gaza to
evacuate to the south within twenty-four hours,
ahead of an expected ground invasion targeting
Hamas. The United Nations called on Israel to
rescind the order, saying it would be
“impossible” to achieve without “devastating
humanitarian consequences.” As of
November 10, more than 1.6 million people, or
over half of Gaza’s population, had been
displaced.
Gazans’ options for refuge are limited. Israel has
closed its two border crossings with Gaza as part
of its blockade. Egypt, which shares the Rafah
border crossing with Gaza and already hosts more than 350,000 refugees and asylum seekers,
is the only viable outlet left. Though the Egyptian government was initially reluctant to open
the crossing, it has since done so to allow aid trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies
to enter Gaza. (However, UN officials say the daily quota for deliveries is only a fraction of
what is required to meet Gaza’s urgent needs.) Some foreign nationals and injured civilians
have also been allowed to flee Gaza via the border crossing, which has temporarily closed
several times due to Israeli strikes.
With food, fuel, and water supplies rapidly dwindling, the United States is working with the
United Nations and other international aid organizations to create “safe zones” within Gaza
where civilians can receive urgent humanitarian aid.

How are humanitarian aid organizations responding?

In November, the United Nations launched an updated $481 million flash appeal to address the
needs of people in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are helping

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to provide essential goods and services, such as medical supplies, fuel, and emergency
assistance. Several other major organizations, including the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement—which comprises the Palestine Red Crescent Society—and Doctors
Without Borders, are also supplying humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict. As the
fighting continues, international calls for humanitarian pauses have grown, including from
countries in the European Union and the Group of Seven (G7), while members of the Arab
League have pushed for a complete cease-fire.

UN Concerns Over Potential War Crimes in Israeli-Palestinian

Conflict
United Nations investigators have raised the spectre of potential war crimes in the ongoing
hostilities between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas. Since the
escalation of violence on October 7th, actions on both sides have come under scrutiny for alleged
violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), a body of rules aimed at limiting the
effects of armed conflict.

Scope of International Humanitarian Law (IHL):

IHL, rooted in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and customary international law, is designed
to safeguard civilians and those no longer active in combat, such as surrendered soldiers, and
to restrict weaponry and combat tactics. Its provisions, which are binding on all states and
nonstate armed groups in a conflict, prohibit indiscriminate attacks, targeting civilians, and
collective punishment, regardless of reciprocal actions or military disparities.

Allegations Against Israeli and Palestinian Combatants:

1. Israeli Military Tactics:
Criticism has mounted against Israel for tactics that appear to subject the civilian
population of Gaza to collective punishment. The protracted blockade and recurrent
airstrikes, which have led to high civilian casualties, especially among children, have
prompted calls for investigations by international organizations. Reports indicate that
since October 7th, Israeli operations have resulted in over 8,400 Palestinian fatalities,
raising questions about the proportionality and discrimination of these attacks.

2. Use of Prohibited Weapons:

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 There are also serious allegations that Israel has employed white phosphorus, a
substance with devastating effects on human tissue, in densely populated areas of Gaza.
Such use in civilian areas could contravene IHL due to the indiscriminate suffering it
causes.

3. Palestinian Armed Groups’ Conduct:

Palestinian Armed Groups’ Conduct: On the Palestinian side, armed groups stand
accused of war crimes for the intentional targeting of Israeli civilians, the indiscriminate
firing of rockets into Israeli territories, and the usage of human shields. These actions
breach the cardinal rules of IHL and have resulted in approximately 1,400 Israeli deaths
reported by the government since the conflict’s resurgence.

4. Occupation and Settlement Issues:

The UN report also reiterates the longstanding international view that Israel’s settlement
activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the displacement of civilians,
potentially constitute war crimes. Despite Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the
UN maintains that Israel’s effective control over the area continues, with obligations
under IHL to provide for the basic needs of the population.

5. Accountability Measures:
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been identified as a potential avenue for
prosecuting severe violations like war crimes and genocide. Despite Israel’s contention
that the ICC lacks jurisdiction and questions surrounding Palestine’s statehood, the
ICC’s mandate has garnered considerable international support. Palestine’s accession to
the ICC in 2015 and subsequent calls for investigation into Israeli settlements
underscore the gravity of the situation.

6. Human Rights Dimensions:

The extensive duration of the Israeli occupation has brought additional scrutiny under
international human rights law. Both the Israeli government and Palestinian governing
bodies, including Hamas as the de facto authority in Gaza, bear the responsibility to
uphold the human rights of the populations under their control. Allegations of apartheid
and persecution against Palestinians have been leveled by rights groups, adding layers
of complexity to the legal and moral framework governing the conflict.

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Call for Legal Clarity and Action:
In light of the ongoing investigation by the ICC and mounting evidence collected by human
rights organizations, there is a pressing call for clear statements from legal authorities on the
applicability of international law to the current situation. The objective is to signal that any
entities, irrespective of their political or military stature, found responsible for war crimes may
face legal repercussions. The pursuit of accountability is viewed as a crucial step toward halting
the cycle of violence and upholding the principles of international law.

In conclusion, the UN’s continued effort to gather evidence and document these potential
infractions underscores the importance of adhering to the established rules of war. The
international community awaits further developments, as the imperative for accountability and
a just resolution remains paramount.

Stance of Different Countries

United States of America

In the United States, the former Trump administration opted for different approach last year by
embracing Israeli aspirations for uniting 30 percent of the West Bank under its rule while
allowing Palestine a limited state option –provided Israel recognizes the legitimacy
of its political leadership.

New President Joe Biden wanted to shelve the Trump administration’s proposal for Middle
East peace and refocus from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, but the recent IsraelPalestine
escalation has messed up that plan. In response to the escalating violence, Biden highlighted
U.S. support for Israel’s security and “legitimate right to defend itself,” adding later that he saw
no “overreaction” by Israeli forces in Gaza. Biden has reaffirmed US support for two-state
solution, calling for separate Israeli and Palestinian states with borders resembling those that
existed before the 1967 war; this territory includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and parts of
East Jerusalem.

Despite its long-standing support for a two-state solution, the United States has traditionally not
supported Palestinian bids for statehood at the United Nations, saying this matter should only
be decided through negotiations with Israel. The PA has pursued full membership for Palestine
at the United Nations since 2011, a move that requires approval by the Security Council, where
the United States has a veto. The PA has yet to garner enough support for the bid, but in 2012,
138 countries at the UN General Assembly voted to recognize Palestine as a non-member
observer state.

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China and Russia

Russia and China seem to be pursuing a more neutral stance on the conflict. Moscow is calling
on both parties to “de-escalate tensions and peacefully resolve the emerging issues.” China’s
position was in tune with that of Russia, urging all parties to exercise restraint to avoid further
casualties. Russia and China are known for sharing a common attitude toward the U.N. as a
cornerstone of global political architecture, while opposing the U.S.-promoted “rules-based
international order.”

Moscow and Beijing’s overlapping position on facilitating U.N. leadership in solving global
disputes is exemplified by their attempts to bring the Israel-Palestine confrontation to the U.N.
Security Council (UNSC). China and Russia continue to jointly promote “two-state system” as
the best option for a peace settlement, which has also been supported by the United Nations.
China along with Russia has been calling on the U.N. to “do more to de-escalate tensions and
implement a two-state solution.”

United Kingdom of Britain

The UK Government has not recognised this statehood, and abstained in the UN General
Assembly vote that granted Palestine non-member observer status at the UN. UK supports a
two-state solution and urges the parties, supported by the international community, to do all
they can to de-escalate, restore calm, and rebuild trust. UK urges the leaders on both sides to
promote a culture of peaceful coexistence.

France:

France typically seeks to stake out more neutral ground, but President Emmanuel Macron’s
office has issued statements in recent days that tilted decidedly toward Israel. The statements
“firmly condemned rocket launching claimed by Hamas and other terrorist groups targeting the
Israeli territory,” but were vaguer when referencing Israeli bombing. Macron had given his
condolences to “the many Palestinian civilian losses resulting from military operations and
ongoing clashes with Israel.” Macron also reiterated his “unwavering attachment to Israel’s
security and its right to defend itself in line with international law,”

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Germany:

Germany is diplomatically committed to a two-state solution and has acted as a mediator in the
Arab–Israeli conflict in the past. Germany doesn’t recognize state of Palestine.
Yet, Germany has defended Israel's right to self-defense. Germany believes that Israel
acts with a sense of proportion and within the framework of proportionality.

European Union:

EU countries have long been ferociously divided over the Israel-Palestine question. Among the
27 member countries, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden and Luxembourg are among those most critical
of Israel. Countries in Eastern Europe, especially Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, are among
those in strongest support of Israel.

NAM Countries

Non Aligned Movement is made up mostly of states that received their independence through
the decolonization process of the 1950s-70s. Its members usually are sympathetic to people
seeking national self-determination, above all to the Palestinians. Its members have
independent polices.

India

India’s policy on the longest running conflict in the world has gone from being unequivocally
pro-Palestine for the first four decades, to a tense balancing act with its three-decade-old
friendly ties with Israel. In recent years, India’s position has also been perceived as pro-Israel.
Yet India maintains a delicate balance between its expanding ties with Israel and its old
historical support for Palestine.

Pakistan

Pakistan officially endorses the two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and has
maintained its longstanding position of non-recognition of Israel until an independent
Palestinian state is established within the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital
city.

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Possible Solutions

As can be surmised from the lengthy historical background section, the conflict between Israel
and Palestine is a complex and fascinating saga. The two most common solutions proposed are
the one- and two-state solutions. The first would either create a unified democratic state that
would integrate Muslims, Christians, and Jews, which would effectively end the idea of a
Jewish state, or bring the entirety of Palestine under Jewish control, which many consider to be
a violation of Palestinian rights. The second solution is the most widely accepted one and it
creates two separate states for Israel and Palestine (Remember that Palestine is not recognized
as a country by the international community), which would be independently governed.
Unfortunately, despite dozens of attempts at negotiations between the two sides, they cannot
agree on terms under which they could create two separate states.

Questions to consider
I. Could there be a way to prevent the attacks on civils and civil areas?
II. Could there be a way to evacuate those who are not soldiers from the region?
III. Could there be a commission to moderate both size, preventing the illegal moves?
IV. Are there any groups with an influence that keeps the conflict going and is there a way
to block that influence is there are?
V. Do those countries who are related in some ways to this situation really put efforts to VI.
establish peace or are they behaving manipulatively?

Conclusion
The situation between Palestine and Israel is a complex and challenging issue. It is an issue that
has lasted ages and continues to perplex the international community. The continuation by
Israel, often regarded as the occupying Power, of settlement activities in the occupied
Palestinian territories is of high concern to the United Nations Security Council. As the ICJ has
found that these settlements are contrary to international law and impede on the Palestinian
people’s right to self-determination, a solution to these settlements needs to be found.
Furthermore, it has been widely recognized that Israeli settlements and the presence of Israeli
forces in the oPt have negatively affected the human rights of local Palestinians, such as their

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lacking right to self-determination, arbitrary arrests, and torture. Moving forward, it is
important that the Security Council works within the UN system to find a solution to the Israeli
settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the Occupied
Syrian Golan.

While many have deemed the matter ‘unsolvable’, it is clear that the circumstances are not
stable in the region and, therefore, something is bound to shake up the status quo eventually.
Therefore, it is now in the hands of this committee to propose solutions that are realistic and
effective in order to resolve disputes in the region.

References
a) Israel and the Palestinian Territories https://www.usip.org/regions/middle-east-and-
north-africa/israel-and-palestinianterritories
b) Israel Withdraws From Gaza https://www.unrwa.org/content/israel-withdraws-gaza
c) The Question Of Palestine, United Nations partition plan of 1947 – Map
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-208958/
d) Settlements and the Israel-Palestine Conflict: Background Reading
https://daily.jstor.org/israeli-settlement-palestine-background-readings/
e) The Mandate for Palestine
https://mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/peace/guide/pages/the%20mandate%20for%20pal
estine.aspx
f) The Question Of Palestine, Mideast peace process/Camp David Summit (July 2000) –
Trilateral Statement/Non-UN document
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-193931/

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