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Greetings, Yves here. Nicolas Davies provides a compelling analysis of why UN member states should take proactive steps rather than remain passive as the latest peace discussions regarding Israel and Palestine unfold. He outlines specific actions the UN can undertake to exert pressure on both Israel and the U.S. while bolstering Palestine’s stance.
By Nicolas J. S. Davies, an independent journalist, researcher for CODEPINK, and author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. He also co-authored War In Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, which has recently been updated in its second edition.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s “20-point Gaza plan” was strategically unveiled to overshadow calls from various global leaders at the UN General Assembly for coordinated measures aimed at halting Israel’s actions in Gaza and the unlawful occupation of Palestine. This tactic successfully redirected attention from legitimate discussions of accountability and humanitarian concerns.
Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 29 coincided with the final day of the UN General Assembly, where he gained the support of several Arab and Muslim leaders for his Gaza proposal. However, in a classic bait-and-switch move, he allowed the Israeli government to significantly modify the plan before presenting it, all while claiming it remained unchanged from what was initially endorsed by leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
Trump’s outline effectively aims to coerce Hamas into a series of concessions it has not accepted, such as releasing all captured Israeli prisoners without a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, disarming, and ceding control of Gaza to a new phase of Israeli governance. This new governance would be overseen by a “board” led by Trump and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who previously orchestrated policies that contributed to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
While Trump’s plan proposes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces and a cessation of attacks, it does not prevent future violence once the situation regarding Israeli prisoners is resolved. Israel would continue to maintain control over Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, enabling continued restrictions on the flow of essential goods.
In contrast to Trump’s proposal, Hamas has expressed willingness to release all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but only contingent on a lasting ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu, however, has stated that no withdrawal will occur until Hamas is disarmed and removed from power. Hamas insists it will not disarm until the occupation of Palestine concludes and its fighters can transition their arms to the established defense forces of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Hamas also argues that it cannot represent Palestine in negotiations solely on its behalf. It insists that the Palestinian people must determine their governance, which cannot be entrusted to Trump or Blair, and that all Palestinian factions must be represented in future discussions.
Given the numerous preconditions in Trump’s plan, an agreement seems improbable, and it fundamentally appears designed to sustain Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation. As highlighted by the Progressive International in a statement on October 7, the proposal offers little more than a roadmap for increased colonization and subjugation of the Palestinian population amidst the ongoing crisis.
Instead of laying the groundwork for peace, it offers a framework for further colonization and the oppression of the Palestinian people — a culmination of years of dispossession and destruction that has reached its most severe point in the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
Current negotiations may falter rapidly or drag on indefinitely, but the UN and global leaders must not remain mere bystanders during this critical time. There is an urgent need for the UN to implement the specific actions that many world leaders advocated for at the General Assembly in September. This includes enforcing UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, facilitating the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian relief, and ultimately concluding the harsh Israeli occupation of Palestine.
In July 2025, the UN General Assembly convened a “High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.” Chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference aimed not only to affirm international consensus on peacefully resolving the Palestine situation but to inspire actionable and timely coordinated efforts toward realizing a two-state solution.
The proceedings resulted in a detailed “New York Declaration,” which received endorsement from the General Assembly in a resolution on September 12th, passing with a vote of 142 to 10, and 12 abstentions.
However, this declaration was a plan for the hypothetical “day after,” and did little to bring that prospect closer as it avoided the “concrete, timebound and coordinated international action” that the conference’s purpose had explicitly called for.
Based on discussions from eight working groups — co-chaired by representatives from 15 countries, the Arab League, and the European Union — the declaration focused on issues pertaining to a potential permanent ceasefire in Gaza, including topics such as “Humanitarian Action and Reconstruction” and “Security for Israelis and Palestinians.”
Three roundtables at the July conference, led by distinguished figures including former Irish President Mary Robinson and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid bin Ra’ad, determined that the first action should be international recognition for the state of Palestine.
To grant UN recognition, approval from both the General Assembly and the UN Security Council is needed. Nonetheless, with such a robust majority favoring this recognition and the U.S. actively using its veto power to weaken the Security Council, the General Assembly can initiate an Emergency Special Session (ESS) under the “Uniting for Peace” principle to formally recognize Palestine and welcome it as a full UN member.
While a number of Western nations have finally acknowledged Palestine, bringing the total to 157 nations recognizing its sovereign statehood, this declaration stemmed from a standard session of the General Assembly, which lacks the power to provide formal UN recognition.
The most significant failure at the July 2025 conference and the subsequent September 12th resolution was the lack of proactive, coordinated UN efforts to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza — the crucial first step toward the “day after” that the working groups were tasked with planning. Trump capitalized on this oversight by proposing a cessation of hostilities under terms that would perpetuate Israel’s occupation rather than bring it to an end.
It was not surprising that Israel dismissed and disregarded the New York Declaration, with Prime Minister Netanyahu doing exactly that during his address to the General Assembly on September 26th. After most delegates walked out, leaving only a sparse audience to hear Netanyahu’s remarks, the Hague Group — a coalition of countries including Colombia and South Africa — conducted a meeting with representatives from 34 nations to strategize concrete actions the UN must take to halt the genocide and occupation.
As Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla stated the following day in his speech to the General Assembly, there is an urgent need to convene an Emergency Special Session “without any further delay” to implement tangible measures for Palestine, including a binding resolution for full UN membership.
If the General Assembly genuinely intends to end the genocide and occupation, the Emergency Special Session must also deliberate and vote on imposing a UN-led arms embargo, economic sanctions, and other concrete actions designed to press Israel to adhere to international law and UN resolutions regarding Palestine.
The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva already maintains a database of 158 Israeli and multinational corporations complicit in the illegal occupation, allowing for an immediate international boycott to take effect.
Israel, a small nation reliant on global trade and economics, could face severe consequences if the majority of nations that supported the New York Declaration stand by their word and votes with coordinated action. A unified UN-led campaign of trade sanctions, disinvestment, and an arms embargo could substantially pressure Israel to terminate its genocide in Gaza and its illegal occupation of Palestine. With sufficient international cooperation, these measures could make Israel’s position untenable quickly.
Numerous speakers at the 2025 General Assembly passionately advocated for decisive actions to instigate a ceasefire and end the occupation. King Abdullah of Jordan questioned, “How long will we continue to settle for mere condemnations without actual results?”
President Lula noted that Brazil has enacted an arms embargo against Israel and ceased all trade with its illegal settlements; Turkiye cut ties with Israel completely in August; Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called for an arms embargo and a suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement; and Chadian Prime Minister Allah-Maye Halina declared, “Our responsibility now is to turn this strong declaration into meaningful actions, bringing hope to the Palestinian people.”
The Hague Group, established by the Progressive International, is dedicated to supporting South Africa’s efforts concerning genocide cases at the International Court of Justice and pursuing war crimes prosecutions against Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court. During a July meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, 12 countries committed to an arms embargo and other concrete actions against the occupation. In his address to the General Assembly on September 23rd, Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged for an Emergency Special Session on Palestine and a UN peacekeeping force to “protect Palestine.”
A previous Emergency Special Session in September 2024 demanded that Israel end its post-1967 occupation of Palestine within a year. Israel’s refusal to initiate this process, along with its escalating acts of aggression in Gaza and repressive measures in other territories, provides ample justification for the General Assembly to pursue the proactive measures many nations are advocating for.
Sadly, instead of employing the necessary diplomatic and economic pressure to achieve a ceasefire and an end to the occupation, France, Saudi Arabia, and their allies have chosen to entice Israel with potential benefits, such as economic partnerships and recognition from Arab nations, in a bid to encourage compliance with international norms.
This strategy has proven futile. The ineffective New York Declaration and Trump’s recent plan for Gaza have squandered precious time for the besieged people of Gaza, who continue to face escalating violence and humanitarian crises. The UN General Assembly must pivot from these misguided initiatives to enforce robust actions to end the genocide and the occupation through economic sanctions, an arms embargo, and other isolating measures against Israel.
The UN General Assembly holds the power to swiftly call for a new Emergency Special Session on Palestine. The ESS can fulfill the promise of “concrete, time-bound, coordinated international action” that the earlier initiative failed to deliver, responding to the calls for action against the occupying forces as emphasized by Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan in his address to the General Assembly.
Across the globe, ordinary citizens are mobilizing, demanding that their governments take action, while flotillas of activists attempt to breach Gaza’s blockade that their authorities have not challenged.
The Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly, convened under the Uniting for Peace principle, can vote on binding resolutions for UN recognition of Palestine, enact a UN-led international arms embargo, initiate economic boycotts, and conduct war crimes prosecutions, among other necessary actions to diplomatically isolate Israel.
By heeding the urgent calls from their own citizens, voting for these measures at the UN, and swiftly enforcing them, world governments possess the collective power to bring an end to the genocide and the illegal occupation of Palestine. Now is the time to wield that power decisively.
