by AHMED MOOLLA
CAIRO – THE United States based advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) has called on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to urgently mandate the deployment of an international protection force to Gaza, following a formal request from the State of Palestine.
During the August 10 Emergency UN Security Council meeting on the Situation in the Middle East, Palestinian Permanent Observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, appealed for “an immediate international protection force to save the Palestinian people from certain death.”
Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN’s executive director, said the General Assembly should invoke the Uniting for Peace resolution to authorise such a mission.
“Israel has made clear for the past two years that no amount of pleading, pressure, or negotiation will end its atrocities and deliberate starvation in Gaza,” Whitson said. “Only international peacekeeping forces can achieve that.”
Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director, warned of escalating violence, pointing to the recent killing of several journalists in Gaza, including Al-Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Shareef.
“Israel’s murder of some of the last remaining journalists in Gaza is a signal that it is moving to fully eradicate Palestinians there under cover of darkness,” Jarrar stated. “It’s more important than ever to have international eyes and ears on the ground to stop their final advance on Gaza.”
Daily protests have been staged outside the UN headquarters in New York, as well as outside the residence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, demanding stronger international action.
The Institute for Public Accuracy is facilitating media interviews with DAWN representatives as the organisation intensifies its campaign for UN intervention.
– CAJ News
