Invoking a rarely used article 99, contained in Chapter XV of the UN Charter, Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called on the Security Council in a letter to “press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and unite in a call for a full humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants.

This says that the UN chief “may bring to attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.” In a statement to journalists along with the letter, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that this was the first time Mr. Guterres had felt compelled to invoke Chapter 99, since taking office in 2017. Mr. Dujarric explained that the UN chief was taking the step “given the scale of the loss of human life in Gaza and Israel, in such a short amount of time”. He described the use of Article 99 as a “dramatic constitutional move” that Mr. Guterres hoped would put more pressure on the Council – and the international community at large – to demand a ceasefire between the warring parties. “I think it’s arguably the most important invocation”, Mr. Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters, “in my opinion, the most powerful tool that he [the Secretary-General] has.” The letter was sent to the President of the Security Council in New York late on Wednesday morning. Since the 7 October terror attacks by Hamas militants in southern Israel and the ongoing bombardment and ground operation by Israeli forces into the Gaza Strip, the Security Council passed one resolution in mid-November, after four failed attempts to find consensus previously, calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses”. Following a week-long pause in hostilities during which some of the 240 hostages being held by militants in Gaza were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, fighting began again on 1 December, leading the Secretary-General to register his deep regret.

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Guterres urges Security Council to act over Israel-Palestine crisis as threat to international peace and security

Met zeldzaam beroep op artikel 99 zet VN-baas zijn krachtigste instrument in