Security Council Issue #3: The Situation in the Middle East

The title of Situation in the Middle East, is so called “Middle East” not “Palestine and Israel”, is due to the recent fact that the conflict between Palestine and Israel have been expanded to Lebanon and different association between other Middle Eastern countries. Hence, delegate’s research on this issue should include Lebanon and all other Middle Eastern countries that are involved, as opposed to solely focusing on the situation of Palestine and Israel. The Middle East is a region where geopoliticalfactors can cause serious impact international peace and security due to different political issues such as territorial displacement. Delegates could do some research on “why” these conflicts exist and middle east history to enhance the understanding of this topic.

Gaza-Israel Conflict

“The nightmare in Gaza is now entering an atrocious, abominable second year. This has been a year of crises: humanitarian crisis, political crisis, diplomatic crisis, and a moral crisis.” SecretaryGeneralAntónio Guterressaid on October 8 th , 2024 ("Secretary-General's press"). The recent first armed conflicts began with Hamas-led militant groupslaunching a surprise attack on Israel on October 7 th , 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 others were held hostage. On October 8th Israel declared itself in a state of war, and just three weeks after,more than 1.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had become internally displaced, and thousands were killed (Britannica). This increases tension between those two nations,resulting in more intense conflict causing millions missing, injured and killed people in all regions. United Nation Security Council (UNSC) have called for immediate cease fire after passes resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, but it didn’t cease the conflict. Delegates should look into the past events from October 7th, 2023, until now and provide an insight on each delegation’s position regarding the conflict. Past UNSC meetings are essential and should be used as a reference to understand a delegation’s stance, but delegates should propose new resolutions instead of reusing the same resolutions or amendments, ensuring they relate to current situations.

Gaza-Lebanon conflict

The recent conflict can be dated as early as October 2023, Hezbollah, Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and simultaneously the militant group, launched a rocket attack on Israel in support of Gaza.“On September 17th , 2024, thousands of hand-held pagers belonging to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon exploded, least 11 people, including three civilians, have been killed as a result of the attack and approximately 2,750 have been wounded” (Al Jazeera). On September 27th, Hassan Nasrallah, a key figure in Hezbollah, was killed in an airstrike by Israel, sparking the conflict. On October 1 st, Israel launched a ground attack on southern Lebanon, crossing the Blue Line, a border established by the United Nations in 2000 for peacekeeping between Lebanon and Israel. Additionally, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired on UN peacekeepers, which is a violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council Resolution 1701 (UN News). Delegates should follow up on the news about Lebanon and research Hezbollah's history and influence in Lebanon. While the conflict may seem like only three nations are involved, there are other influential factors affecting the situation. Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated when Iran launched missiles in Israel in response to Israel’s attack on Hezbollah, a group allied with Iran (CNN). Delegates should recognize that this issue extends beyond Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon and involves their alliances and international relationships.

Focus of the debate

The debate on the situation in the Middle East should focus on the expanding conflict. Delegates should include the broader geopolitical consequences, considering not only Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon, but also the roles of different alliances and other regions, then evaluate the significance of the issue to their own delegation.

During the debate, delegates should address these interconnected conflicts, humanitarian crises, and threats to international security and peace, while considering the issue's regional impact, historical, and political context. It is also important to account for the delegation’s role in international law and the UNSC by reviewing both past and current United Nations Security Council resolutions. However, the debate should aim to explore new resolutions and fresh perspectives, rather than relying on previously passed resolutions. Amendments should be proposed based on a delegation's stance, not the delegate’s personal point of view. This is especially important for P5 members, who must consider their delegation’s significance in the UNSC and in this issue, ensuring that they represent their delegation’s ethical, regional, and political considerations when voting in the conference, particularly due to the veto power.

Bibliography

"The history of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel."AlJazeera, 18 Sept. 2024, www.aljazeera.com/ news/2024/9/18/hezbollah-and-israel-a-timeline-of-conflict.

InsightsEditor, editor. "Blue Line." InsightsIAS, 24 Mar. 2024, www.insightsonindia.com/2024/03/08/ blue-line/.

"Israel-Hamas War." Britannica, Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/event/Israel-Hamas-War. "Israeli forces fire on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon." UN News, 10 Oct. 2024, news.un.org/en/story/ 2024/10/1155551.

"Israeli Troops Have Launched a Ground Offensive in Southern Lebanon. Here's what We Know | CNN." CNN, 1 Oct. 2024, edition.cnn.com/2024/10/01/middleeast/ israel-ground-incursion-lebanon-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html.

"Secretary-General's press encounter - on the situation in the Middle East." United Nation, 8 Oct. 2024, www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2024-10-08/ secretary-generals-press-encounter-the-situation-the-middle-east.