UN Official Resigns Over Israel-Gaza ‘Genocide,’ Calls for Dismantling of ‘Settler-Colonial Project’
The United Nations (UN) high-ranking official Craig Mokhiber resigned in protest that it failed to stop the Israel-Gaza war and ‘genocide’ of Palestinians through the hands of Israeli forces.
In a detailed communication addressed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, Mokhiber called for the immediate dismantling of what he described as a “deeply racist, settler-colonial project” and highlighted what he referred to as the “genocide” of Palestinian civilians during Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza.
Mokhiber, served as the Director of the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York. He expressed profound disappointment in the UN’s inability to fulfill its responsibilities in the face of escalating violence. He pointed fingers at Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and several European nations for being “wholly complicit in the horrific assault.”
“The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist colonial-settler ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs … leaves no room for doubt,” Mokhiber stated in his resignation letter.
“Once again we are witnessing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the organization we serve appears powerless to stop it,” he lamented.
His resignation comes at a time when there is a surge in international attention and concern over the spiraling violence in the region. He called for a radical solution to the crisis, and advocated for a “one-state solution.” Such a resolution would entail the re-establishment of historic Palestine and the dissolution of the current Jewish state.
“We must support the establishment of a single, democratic, secular state in all of historic Palestine, with equal rights for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and, therefore, the dismantling of the deeply racist, settler-colonial project and an end to apartheid across the land,” Mokhiber argued.
The latest phase of the Israel-Gaza conflict was triggered by an incursion into Israeli territory by Hamas militants on October 7, during which hundreds of people were killed, and nearly 250 civilians, including foreigners attending a music festival, were abducted. The surprise attack exposed vulnerabilities in even the most advanced surveillance and defense systems globally and resulted in a wide-scale Israeli strike in parts of Gaza.
The situation remains fluid and continues to draw global attention, with international organizations and world leaders working to mediate a ceasefire and find a lasting solution to the long-standing conflict.
