UN urged to address root causes of Gaza conflict: systemic disarmament vs. occupation’s violence
Original framing: “UN council urged to use ‘every means at its disposal’ to press Hamas to disarm - AP News” — AP News (via Google News)
The conflict’s roots trace to 1948’s Nakba, when 700,000 Palestinians were expelled, and 1967’s occupation, which the UN has repeatedly condemned (e.g., Resolution 2370 on settlements). Historical parallels include South Africa’s apartheid regime, where international pressure targeted systemic oppression—not just armed groups—leading to a negotiated settlement. The UN’s selective enforcement (e.g., ignoring Israel’s nuclear arsenal) mirrors Cold War-era hypocrisy, where nuclear states were exempt from disarmament demands. The 2005 Israeli withdrawal from Gaza was followed by a blockade, revealing the hollowness of 'disarmament' as a standalone solution.
The UN’s call for Hamas disarmament is a symptom of a broader failure to address the root causes of the Gaza conflict: 75 years of settler colonialism, 56 years of occupation, and 16 years of blockade.
This framing serves Western geopolitical interests by framing Palestinian resistance as inherently illegitimate, while ignoring the structural violence of occupation, the complicity of nuclear-armed states, and the UN’s own selective enforcement of international law. Cross-culturally, indigenous traditions like sumud and Ubuntu reveal how resistance is framed as a sacred duty to protect land and kin, not a crime to be punished. The solution lies not in coercive disarmament but in transitional justice—truth commissions, phased withdrawals, and regional security frameworks that center Palestinian self-determination. Without this, the cycle of violence will persist, as history has shown in South Africa, Northern Ireland, and beyond.