Link To Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/2/qa-former-un-official-craig-mokhiber-on-gaza-and-genocide
Craig Mokhiber, a United Nations human rights official and human rights lawyer, has stepped down after 30 years. The decision was made after he thought the UN failed in response to the war in Gaza once again. He said that they should attach the same standards to Israel as they do to determine human rights violations around the world. This is the fourth time they have failed, according to Mokhiber, in acting towards a “textbook genocide”, along with what has happened in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Myanmar. In an interview later in the article with an Al Jazeera journalist, they talk about problems and the potential root of them. The recurring theme is that there is a problem with the bigger states and organizations ignoring the conflict to a certain degree. One example of this is the intentions made by Israeli leaders, which have been publicly stated, yet the UN have not addressed the human rights violations taking place. Another great example is when the United States and Joe Biden said there should be a two state solution. Mokhiber argues the opposite, saying that this solution never dealt with the fundamental human rights of Palestinians.
This is probably the most interesting article I have read during these regional reports. The reason for this is that it feels so impactful when you’re reading it. I love that the main point of the article and Mokhiber’s arguments are not to blame anybody. He instead tries to tackle a problem, which I feel has not been made aware of too much. It is interesting because his arguments sound simple but they don’t seem to be discussed by any big states, so why is that? It is also obviously important since an influential UN member has stepped down. That could potentially lead to some kind of change in the UN. Maybe after this, the UN will try to focus more on fixing human rights violations. Or maybe they won’t have one care in the world, like they have before with those other genocides.
This article connects to what we have learned in class because Craig Mokhiber was a part of the UN, which is an IGO. An IGO is an intergovernmental organization that works to achieve goals in a state(s) interest. An example of an IGO would be the UN, united nations, who are made up of numerous states in order to have some sense of military security across Europe.