When the UN General Assembly begins its annual session on September 9, there will be no issue more urgent than the demand for action against Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. With protests growing against the murderous policy of the Netanyahu regime—including in Israel—and opposition to further aid building even within the U.S. Congress, there is momentum building to convene an emergency session to push through a vote under the auspices of the Uniting for Peace Resolution, to give the UNGA power to take emergency measures to save lives, authorizing actions to overcome U.S. vetoes in the UN Security Council.
The resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars on the eve of the UNGA gathering, accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes, adds to the case for action, as does the destruction by IDF bomb squads of four high rises in Gaza City in the last four days.
As the tension has been building before the UNGA session, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a renewed push to end the fighting. Channel 12 in Israel reports his plan includes the return of all remaining hostages, living and dead, on the first day of the ceasefire, an end to Israel’s military operation in Gaza City, and negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. While Hamas is reported to be considering it, Trump threatened Hamas, and Netanyahu said he believes Hamas will reject the plan. A further complication is the decision of the Trump administration to revoke visas to 80-plus Palestinians, including President Mahmoud Abbas, preventing their participation in the UNGA deliberations.
In a lead editorial, Haaretz criticized the plan, as it is centered around the idea of “population transfer,” which it describes as an “illusion,” adding that the “expulsion of 2 million people is not a plan; it is a war crime.” As if to confirm the editorial’s skepticism, Netanyahu attacked Egypt for not accepting Palestinian refugees forcibly driven from Gaza. He arrogantly described himself as a defender of the “free will” of Palestinians to choose where to live. “That’s a basic human right,” he said, knowing the choice he is offering Palestinians is to die from starvation or IDF fire, or to leave their homes forever.
