On the evening of May 10, 2024, at the 10th emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly, a shocking scene was staged on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly.
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Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, took out a small paper shredder in public and fed the cover of the Charter of the United Nations into it to shred. After this move, the Israeli diplomat said even more mockingly: "You are tearing up the UN Charter with your own hands."
This radical act of the Israeli representative has undoubtedly caused an uproar in the international arena. The main agenda item of the current session of the General Assembly is to discuss a resolution on whether to grant Palestine more rights in the United Nations. There is no doubt that this resolution is a serious challenge to Israel's long-standing dominance on the question of Palestine. Erdan's move can be seen to a large extent as an expression of Israel's anger and dissatisfaction with the resolution.
However, in order to fully understand the reasons behind this incident and the deeper meaning, we need to explore further. What is it that drives Israel to behave so resolutely and irrationally? What kind of impact will it have on the situation in the Middle East as a whole?
For the first time at the UN: loss of neutrality?
First, we need to recall the context of this session of the General Assembly.
As we all know, the question of Palestine has always been the focus of attention of the international community and is one of the most complex geopolitical issues in the Middle East in modern times. Since the United Nations adopted the Plan for the Partition of Palestine in 1947, there have been fierce contradictions and conflicts between Palestine and Israel in many areas, such as territory, human rights, and national self-determination. In doing so, the United Nations has also been playing the role of mediator and neutral arbiter.
Regrettably, however, the impartiality and neutrality of the United Nations on this issue have been questioned over time. Especially during the Trump administration, the U.S. government's unequivocal support for Israel and its strong stance on Jerusalem have undoubtedly greatly undermined the credibility of the United Nations.
The results of the vote at the current session of the General Assembly have once again confirmed this problem. In the end, 121 countries voted in favor of the resolution, and only 9 voted against. This means that, with the exception of a few countries such as the United States and Israel, the vast majority of UN member states have chosen to support Palestine on this issue.
Naturally, the Israeli side is very dissatisfied with this. In their view, the United Nations has lost its original neutrality on this issue and has instead become an "irrelevant body". And Erdan's move is undoubtedly a "warning" from Israel to the international community. They seem to want to express their dissatisfaction and anger through this extreme behavior.
However, this approach clearly does not solve the problem. On the contrary, it is likely to further aggravate the contradictions and tensions in the Middle East and increase the uncertainty of the peace process. Therefore, we should pay more attention to how to restore the United Nations to its rightful position of impartiality and neutrality and to make suggestions for easing the situation in the Middle East.
Another important wrestling field: the U.S.-Israel relationship
Of course, to fully understand the complexity of this event, we also need to focus on another wrestling field – the US-Israel relationship.
As we all know, as Israel's most important diplomatic ally and economic supporter, the United States has always played a pivotal role in the Middle East. Especially during the Trump administration, the U.S. government openly supported Israel and sided with Israel on issues such as the Jerusalem issue and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
And this kind of strong US-Israeli relationship has undoubtedly made Israel feel confident and confident in the United Nations and other international forums. They may think that as long as they have the "big brother" of the United States as their backer, they will be able to do whatever they want in the international arena without taking too much into account the interests and demands of other countries.
But it's clear that the landscape is quietly changing with the Joe Biden administration. Although the Biden administration also sees Israel as an important Middle East ally, its Middle East policy demands are markedly different. They have placed greater emphasis on restoring the credibility of the United States in the international arena and repairing relations with other countries. On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the Biden administration has also adopted a more cautious and balanced approach.
This undoubtedly makes Israel quite unhappy. They are worried that if the United States softens its attitude on this issue, it will be in a passive position in the future international game. The results of the vote at the UN General Assembly meeting have obviously exacerbated Israel's anxiety even more.
It is precisely because of this anxiety and anger that Israel has committed such extreme acts. They may want to use this practice of "tearing up the Charter" to warn the international community that they still have enough influence and voice to be ignored.
However, this approach clearly lacks rationality and wisdom. In today's increasingly interconnected world, it is difficult for any country's extreme behavior to truly change the international landscape. On the contrary, it may deepen antagonisms and make the problem more difficult to solve.
Therefore, both the United Nations and the United States should look at this Israeli move more rationally. Only through patient communication and compromise and the restoration of mutual trust can a real way out of the situation in the Middle East be found.
There is still light at the end of the tunnel
Despite the seemingly grave situation at hand, we should not lose confidence in the Middle East peace process.
First of all, we should note that, despite such drastic Israeli measures on this occasion, the international community has maintained a considerable level of unity and unity. The overwhelming majority of UN member states have chosen to support Palestine, which undoubtedly gives strong support to this vulnerable group. It also shows that, even in the face of Israel's strong opposition, the international community still wants to fight for the rights and status of the Palestinians through legitimate means.
This is indeed a shocking and outrageous event. The public smashing of the Charter of the United Nations by the representative of Israel is undoubtedly a flagrant challenge to the entire international order. But we need to objectively analyze the underlying reasons and complex political wrangling.
First, this incident highlights the gradual loss of neutrality and credibility of the United Nations on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The United Nations has tried to play the role of mediator and arbiter for decades, but its impartiality has been seriously questioned as the attitude of the United States Government has shifted. The results of this vote clearly show that the vast majority of UN member states have chosen to support Palestine, with the exception of a few countries that support Israel. This undoubtedly makes Israel very disturbed and angry.
Secondly, this incident also reflects a subtle change in Israel's relations with the United States. The United States has been Israel's most important diplomatic ally and economic supporter for the past few decades. But with the Biden administration coming to power, U.S. policy in the Middle East has shifted, with a greater emphasis on restoring international credibility and balancing the interests of all parties. This will inevitably weaken Israel's voice and influence in the international arena, which is one of the important reasons why Israel has acted so aggressively.
However, we should also note that, despite the seemingly grave situation, there is still hope for the Middle East peace process. The overwhelming majority of the members of the international community support Palestine as an indication of the continued desire for a peaceful and negotiated solution to this long-standing contradiction. At the same time, the Biden administration has put forward some more balanced Middle East policy proposals, which also opens up new possibilities for future mediation efforts.
Therefore, I believe that although this incident has indeed aroused widespread concern and controversy, as long as all parties can adopt an attitude of rational and healthy competition, through patient communication and positive interaction, they will definitely be able to find a way out of the problem. We should maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, believing that as long as all parties act in accordance with the principle of seeking win-win results, the Middle East and the entire international order will be able to achieve more just, peaceful and stable development. #联大惊变! The representative of Israel openly challenged authority, and the Charter of the United Nations was reduced to pieces under the shredder#