Rights group blasts UN General Assembly for lack of action on Gaza genocide

The Gaza Tribunal, a civil initiative made up of international academics, legal experts, and human rights advocates, is calling for urgent UN intervention to shield civilians in the war-ravaged enclave.

Speaking at a press briefing in Istanbul on Monday, the tribunal’s chair Richard Falk, a former UN special rapporteur on Palestinian rights, urged governments to act before the crisis reaches a point of no return.

The group is pressing for the UN General Assembly to be granted authority to send an armed, protective mission into Gaza, citing the collapse of aid delivery and the worsening conditions for the civilian population.

“The aim was the empowerment of the UN General Assembly to organise a protective, armed intervention in Gaza to overcome the disruption of humanitarian aid and the continuing devastation and destruction of the people,” said Falk, a 94-year-old American professor emeritus of international law.

- Background to the call -

The Gaza Tribunal was established in London in 2024 with the stated goal of galvanizing public opinion and pushing governments to act “to end the genocide” in Gaza. Its members argue that the UN Security Council has been paralyzed by political divisions, leaving the General Assembly as the only viable path forward.

“We urge governments around the world to take immediate steps to empower the veto-free UN General Assembly that ... so far has been frustrated in its attempts to end the Gaza genocide,” the group declared in a statement.

Since the October 7, 2023, 'Israel' has launched a military campaign in Gaza that health officials in the territory say has killed more than 61,944 Palestinians. Aid agencies warn that the enclave faces catastrophic shortages of food, water, and medicine.

- Possible legal avenues -

Falk suggested that governments could turn to existing international frameworks such as the 1950 “Uniting for Peace” resolution, which allows the General Assembly to act when the Security Council is blocked, or the 2005 Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, designed to prevent atrocities like those in Rwanda and Bosnia.

“If we do not take action of a serious and drastic kind at this time, (it) will be too late to save the surviving people,” Falk warned.

- Differing views -

'Israel' has rejected accusations of genocide and maintains that it does not deliberately obstruct humanitarian assistance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that international calls to stop the war only strengthen Hamas’ determination to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Monday accused 'Israel' of pursuing a “deliberate policy” of starving civilians in Gaza, a claim that 'Israeli' officials have repeatedly denied.

Read more: Amnesty says 'Israel' deliberately starving Gaza's Palestinians

The Gaza Tribunal hopes to place the issue on the agenda of next month’s UN General Assembly session in New York. But the push for armed intervention remains controversial, with major powers split over whether such measures represent necessary protection or unwarranted interference in the affairs of a sovereign state.