The ongoing genocide in Gaza demands urgent, decisive international intervention. The existing global movement calling for an end to Israel’s crimes must urgently refocus on a concrete, actionable strategy: one that centres on leveraging the United Nations’ Uniting for Peace Resolution – an established but under-utilised legal mechanism that can bypass the Security Council’s deadlock and authorize protective military action to halt mass atrocities.
The need for change in our approach to Gaza
For nearly two years, millions across the globe have taken to the streets chanting “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide”. But despite intense activism and repeated calls for a ceasefire, the violence and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have only escalated. Starvation, disease, and a collapsed medical system plague the civilian population, while Israel’s ethnic cleansing continues unabated, moving closer to what has been described as a “final solution” for Gaza’s people.
This is all happening while UN human rights experts affirm that Israel’s conduct follows patterns of genocidal crimes, and the international legal framework recognises the obligation to prevent such atrocities. But, the UN Security Council has been paralysed, primarily due to repeated vetoes of resolutions by the United States blocking any meaningful ceasefires, humanitarian access, or accountability measures.
The harsh truth is, that after months of shouting and marching, and meeting after meeting of Security Council members, the situation has deteriorated exponentially. The time for vague demands and slogans has now passed, and we urgently, and dramatically, need to change our strategies and refocus our actions, before it is too late.
During a recent interview with the Canary, former senior UN official and international human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber, told us:
The only way to stop the genocide is to get a force in there that is mandated to, firstly, protect civilians…to secure and support the distribution of humanitarian aid…and preserve the evidence of Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The Uniting for Peace Resolution: a legal and strategic opportunity
The key lies with a powerful but underutilised UN mechanism, which bypasses Security Council paralysis, known as the Uniting for Peace Resolution. First adopted in 1950, it provides an alternative route when the Security Council is deadlocked, by empowering the UN General Assembly to convene an Emergency Special Session (ESS) within 24 hours, at the call of one member state or through a majority, enabling it to make recommendations, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
The first use of the Uniting for Peace Resolution was against two NATO members, France and the United Kingdom, during the Suez Crisis in 1956. A UN peacekeeping force was established, known as the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), and was dispatched to the Sinai. This force successfully secured and supervised the cessation of hostilities. The same could be done now.
The UN General Assembly has already voted twice since October 7 under the Uniting for Peace Resolution, but because these efforts lacked substance and clear demands, no actionable plan to protect Gaza’s civilians, or stop the violence, has happened. As Mokhiber explained:
So far, the General Assembly resolutions adopted under Uniting for Peace during the Gaza genocide have failed to include actions with real teeth, such as a protection force, the stripping of Israel’s UN General Assembly credentials, and the establishment of an accountability mechanism. This is due largely to diplomatic pressure from the allies of the Israeli regime- the US, the UK, and others, and to efforts to secure the highest possible number of affirmative votes. But the most significant resolution adopted in September of 2024 was also the most expansive and garnered an overwhelming majority, showing there is room for more, particularly after another year of worsening atrocities.
We must all unite behind an urgent demand: UN-mandated multinational armed protective force into Gaza now
Eric Ruben is an American Jew, and part of a global initiative called People Against Genocide Everywhere. Both of his parents were anti-Zionist Jews, and his father was a reporter at the Nuremberg war crime trials. Ruben told the Canary:
So, I was raised on pretty much a belief that no genocide is acceptable, no way, no how. I have been very frustrated by seeing all this wasted potential on the streets, hundreds of thousands of people, protesting with amorphous demands. After 22 months the situation has just got worse. It’s been like the old definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over, getting the same results and expecting something different. I know we can do something to stop the genocide. I know we can. The question is whether we have the ability to mobilize the people in time. Craig’s been a voice in the wilderness. Although his experience is right on the mark, and people listen, it’s not been translated into any discernible action on the ground, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now.
Working with Mokhiber, to help their demand become reality, People Against Genocide Everywhere is calling for the global movement to unite behind a clear, urgent demand: the immediate deployment of a UN-mandated multinational armed protective force into Gaza. Ruben explained:
We must harness the power of the people who have been protesting, who feel very frustrated about the fact that their protests have done nothing. Their energy is sincere, and now we’re giving them an opportunity for their protest to actually support what they’ve always wanted to do, which is support the people of Gaza, and stop the genocide.
A concrete three-phase campaign plan
People Against Genocide Everywhere is hoping that, with the support and cooperation of activists around the world, a concrete three-phase plan can be enacted, to ensure a UN protective force is deployed into Gaza. This would involve the following:
Phase One: Trigger an Emergency Special Session (ESS)
The first critical step is for one UN member state – in any region – to formally request an Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the UN General Assembly. This request activates a 24-hour countdown for the General Assembly to convene and address the crisis. Coordinated, immediate pressure must be applied worldwide to compel governments to initiate this process, including mass demonstrations, letter deliveries to political leaders, and sustained peaceful picket lines at federal offices and UN missions.
Phase Two: Passing a robust Uniting for Peace Resolution
Once the ESS is underway, the focus must shift to ensuring swift adoption of a comprehensive General Assembly Uniting for Peace Resolution. This resolution must authorize the deployment of a UN mandated multinational armed protective force to Gaza and must include the following measures.
The UN mandated multinational armed protective force should be armed for self-defense, equipped with monitoring technologies, and mandated to:
- Safeguard Palestinian civilians
- Support the UN’s unrestricted entry and distribution of humanitarian aid
- Preserve evidence of potential war crimes and violations of human rights
- Facilitate reconstruction of Gaza
Hold Israel and the West accountable for crimes in Gaza
The Resolution should also include a call on all member states to:
- Mandate a ceasefire and for Israel to withdraw all armed forces from Gaza, and stop all attacks on Gaza by air, land, and sea.
- Call on all member nations to implement a total embargo on arms to Israel
- Cease all trade, investment, economic, diplomatic, and cultural relations with the Israeli government
- Strip Israel of its UN credentials
- Reaffirm the right of the Palestinian people to use all necessary means to resist colonial domination and foreign occupation, including through armed struggle, in accordance with international law.
Phase Three: Countries must commit troops and resources – the streets hold them accountable
After the resolution passes, which requires a two-thirds majority, the real test begins: every nation that votes ‘yes’ must publicly state what resources they will contribute—troops, planes, ships, humanitarian aid. People in the streets must hold their governments to account, demanding transparency:
- How many troops will be sent?
- What military support will be provided?
- What humanitarian resources will assist Gaza?
Weekly demonstrations and picket lines must continue outside government offices until each country publishes a clear, public commitment. This is the power of people uniting to transform promises into action. The ultimate call is for the multinational protective force to deploy within 96 hours, prepared to respond to any aggression against civilians or UN personnel.
The critical role of picket lines: sustaining pressure and visibility
A central pillar of this campaign strategy is the establishment and maintenance of continuous, strategic picket lines at key sites such as federal government buildings, UN offices, diplomatic missions, and major ports. These pickets serve several vital purposes:
- Maintaining urgency and visibility. Constant presence reminds government officials and UN personnel that the world’s eyes are watching and that inaction will not be tolerated. This counters bureaucratic inertia and diplomatic stalling tactics.
- Economic and political pressure. Ports are vital economic hubs. Even a slight slowdown in port operations – through picket lines that many dockworkers may respect by refusing to cross – can send a powerful financial message to governments, incentivizing them to act.
- Solidarity and morale. Holding picket lines at UN offices encourages internal UN staff to support and advocate for protective measures, underscoring broad international consensus.
- Flexible local action. Organised locally, these picket lines empower communities worldwide to reclaim agency in this global crisis, ensuring the campaign does not rely solely on high-level diplomatic negotiations.
This sustained civic engagement strategy is not just symbolic protest, but is a well-calculated pressure tactic designed to compel governments to heed demands for immediate UN intervention.
Why this shift matters
The fuel behind previous global protests was invaluable, and changed the discourse worldwide, says Ruben:
At the beginning, it was very important because it went up against the trope that if you’re against Israel, you’re antisemitic. So that was incredibly important, especially with a lot of Jewish organizations, who took that to the streets. That was an incredibly important thing, because that trope doesn’t exist anymore. Demonstrations also called out the lies that said Hamas was under every hospital, every building, every school and every mosque.
That battle has been won. The narrative that stopped millions from speaking out has collapsed, thanks to these efforts.
But now, the question is no longer about raising awareness. Now, we must demand action – real, enforceable, and timely action, because it will soon be too late.
How You Can Make a Difference Today:
- Take to the streets and demand that it is your government that will make the call for an Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly without delay.
- Organise sustained pickets at government buildings, UN offices, and ports to apply political and economic pressure, if that call is not made immediately.
- Unite behind the one message that will save lives: “Deploy a UN-mandated multinational armed protective force into Gaza now”, and pressure your government to demand and support a comprehensive Uniting for Peace Resolution that stops the war, delivers humanitarian aid, and protects civilians.
- Hold elected officials accountable post-resolution by demanding full disclosure and commitment for sending support and aid.
- Sign the petition calling for the UN General Assembly to deploy an Emergency Armed Multinational Protection Force to Gaza!
The momentum we built by chanting “free Palestine” must now translate into concrete demands and unstoppable pressure on governments worldwide. Every hour we hesitate, the less time there will be for the people of Gaza.
Demand a United Nations Emergency Special Session NOW.
For more information, see here.
Featured image via the Canary
By Charlie Jaay
This post was originally published on Canary.