On October 13, 2016, the nomination of António Guterres as the new United Nations Secretary-General was approved at the General Assembly by the organization’s 193 members. Guterres was the only candidate who gained a sufficient number of votes when in a rare show of unity, all 15 ambassadors from the Security Council voted for him. The fact that during the process Guterres publicly proclaimed himself an activist on humanitarian issues made his victory all the more surprising, as both Russia and China have been particularly...
The Obama administration nears the end of its tenure frustrated by its failure to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and it appears that by the end of its term, it seeks to have laid the groundwork for a new framework regarding the process. The Israeli government should therefore make a concerted effort in the existing circumstances to reach understandings with the Obama administration on questions involving the peace process and the settlements. This would likely assist Netanyahu’s efforts to persuade the American...
On April 25, 1982, the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) began its mission in the Sinai Peninsula to implement the supervisory functions stipulated in the security annex of the Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. In the decades since, and especially over the past five years, the operating environment of the MFO has transformed dramatically, and contributing countries and units have changed. Nonetheless, the Multinational Force continues to fill a critical role in implementing the security regime agreed upon by the leaders of...
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued its ruling on the case filed by the Philippines regarding its dispute with China in the South China Sea. The ruling, which clearly favored the Philippine position, stated that China’s claims to sovereignty in the “nine-dash line” area had no legal basis. According to the ruling, some of the territorial features in the area over which China demanded sovereignty are too small to confer territorial rights. Therefore, according to the ruling, China’s actions...
On June 28, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly held elections for five non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 2017-2018. Israel has never been a member of the UNSC and did not compete in the current elections. Nevertheless, Israel has reportedly announced that it plans to run for a seat on the Council in 2018. If so, Israel would be wise to develop a well thought-out strategy in order to pursue a seat in the Security Council. In fact, in June 2016, Israel won an election to chair the United Nations’...
This article examines the contribution made by peacekeeping operations on Israel’s borders to regional stability since Israel’s establishment, especially in the face of the challenge posed by armed non-state actors in the second decade of the twenty-first century. The article is divided into three parts. The first part presents the main changes in the operating principles of peacekeeping missions from the Cold War to the present. The second provides a concise overview of the rationale for peacekeeping operations on Israel’s borders....
Despite UN peacekeeping forces’ extensive activity in several conflict areas around the world, its abilities and effectiveness are limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of agreement and clarity regarding its legal and political aspects. The Israeli-Arab conflict has been the primary testing grounds in terms of developing the notion of peacekeeping during the Cold War, and stationing forces along and beyond Israel’s borders has served as means of “preventive diplomacy.” The end of the Cold War provided impetus for a number of...
For Hizbullah and its supporters in Lebanon, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is, if not a clear victory, then certainly the least of all evils. The main reason is that 1701 keeps the discussion of Hizbullah’s disarmament within the confines of the barren exercise known as the “Lebanese National Dialogue.” Moreover, the Resolution provides no effective mechanism for action by the Lebanese Government or UNIFIL to disarm Hizbullah or terminate its existence as a state within a state.
