UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said Gaza faces a 'humanitarian catastrophe'. AFP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said Gaza faces a 'humanitarian catastrophe'. AFP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said Gaza faces a 'humanitarian catastrophe'. AFP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said Gaza faces a 'humanitarian catastrophe'. AFP

'We have to act now': UN Security Council to meet and vote on Gaza resolution


Adla Massoud
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

The UN Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after Secretary General Antonio Guterres took the rare step of declaring the conflict a threat to world peace and security.

The UAE submitted the resolution hours after Mr Guterres on Wednesday invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which states that “the Secretary General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”.

Mr Guterres warned of an imminent “humanitarian catastrophe” and implored Security Council members to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

More than 17,000 people have been killed in the enclave and most of the population left without shelter or basic essentials two months into an Israeli offensive.

The UAE, with the support of the Arab and Islamic states, circulated a brief draft resolution to the council, which expressed “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population”.

It said that the “Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law".

The diplomats also demanded the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and humanitarian access into Gaza.

According to a UN diplomat, invoking Article 99 was entirely the decision of the Secretary General.

“For the UN in Gaza, the time is up and we have to act now,” the diplomat told The National, while warning that the article was not a “magic bullet”.

The UAE is aiming to put the text to a vote on Friday, when the council is set to be briefed by Mr Guterres on the situation in Gaza.

The US deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, told reporters on Thursday that the US had not had any discussions with the UAE about its text.

“But we've been very clear, we don't think another Security Council product right now is going to be helpful to the situation,” Mr Wood said.

The US, Israel's strongest ally, has already used its veto once to block a resolution that called for a humanitarian ceasefire as it did not explicitly condemn Hamas.

Instead, Washington is advocating for temporary humanitarian pauses as long as Hamas continues to release hostages it took during its attack in southern Israel on October 7, which led to the conflict.

Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told The National that while Article 99 carried symbolic weight, the Secretary General cannot force states to act on his warning.

“This could still backfire for him,” Mr Gowan said.

Antonio Guterres speaks to the UN Security Council meeting called to address the Israel-Gaza war, on October 24. EPA
Antonio Guterres speaks to the UN Security Council meeting called to address the Israel-Gaza war, on October 24. EPA

“I do think it is brave of the Secretary General to invoke Article 99. By taking the risk of upsetting the US, he is sending a clear signal that it is essential to halt the war in Gaza.

“He's effectively putting his own credibility on the line to try to get to peace, and that is not a small gesture.”

Should the US veto the ceasefire resolution, Mr Gowan said, “it will look like Washington is disregarding the Secretary General.

“That will do the US reputational damage, but it will also leave Guterres looking diminished and short on political options over Gaza.”

In a briefing by humanitarian groups on Thursday, Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, welcomed Mr Guterres's invocation of Article 99 as a “critical step” towards addressing the Gaza crisis at the highest levels.

“The forced displacement and the deprivation inflicted upon more than 2 million people in Gaza calls for international intervention to avert a humanitarian disaster and a complete breakdown,” Ms Khalidi said.

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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

 

 

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
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  2. Peter Bone
  3. Ben Bradley
  4. Andrew Bridgen
  5. Maria Caulfield​​​​​​​
  6. Simon Clarke 
  7. Philip Davies
  8. Nadine Dorries​​​​​​​
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Asia Cup Qualifier

Venue: Kuala Lumpur

Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore

Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman

Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal

Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore

Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu Sep 6: Final

 

Asia Cup

Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Schedule: Sep 15-28

Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

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Key findings of Jenkins report
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  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Jetour T1 specs

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Disaster Artist

Director: James Franco

Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan

Four stars

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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta​​​​​​​
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)

Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

Updated: December 08, 2023, 10:51 AM`