April 19, 2024 (EIRNS)—UN Secretary General António Guterres opened the April 18 UN Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East and the Palestinian Question with a stark warning:
“The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation—in words and deeds. One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable—a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved—and for the rest of the world. This moment of maximum peril must be a time for maximum restraint….
“It is high time to end the bloody cycle of retaliation.”
Over 40 speakers representing nations or international bodies addressed the Security Council, following Guterres. Many, many echoed his concern, and identified the catastrophe in Gaza, and the failure for more than 75 years to allow the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State, as the root cause of the danger. The need to rectify that injustice dominated the debate, despite the U.S.-U.K. attempt to make Iran the big bad guy.
