Can the UN Trusteeship Council Help Resolve Middle East Crisis?

The Trusteeship Council Chamber at UN Headquarters.

Many feel despair and anger that the genocide of Palestinians is not being stopped. How can the US, Germany, and other countries continue to pour funds and weapons into Israel despite UN decisions indicating complicity under the Convention against Genocide?

How can nations maintain trade agreements with Israel and allow large investments in a country that violates international law and basic decency? How can the world tolerate granting great powers, especially the US, enough influence in the UN to block decisions through veto?

Could the solution lie in revitalizing the UN Trusteeship Council, with a mandate to help former colonies or trust territories achieve independence, thereby also contributing to peace and security?

The Trusteeship Council is one of the central UN organs, with a mandate enshrined in Chapter 13 of the UN Charter. It has been inactive since 1994 when the last trust territory, Palau, joined the UN.

The Council has decades of experience in helping colonies function independently after colonial powers relinquished control. It can draw on expertise from the UN system, including specialized agencies, and involve a larger contingent of UN peacekeeping forces if necessary.

The situation in Palestine differs from former colonies but shares similarities. In 1947, under strong pressure from England, the UN decided to divide Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state (Resolution 181). The Trusteeship Council was given responsibility for Jerusalem, envisioned as a corpus separatum, with a reassessment after a 10-year trial period and a referendum to allow people’s input.

The current and intolerable situation—wars, brutal displacement of Palestinians, and repeated violations of agreements—shows that the 1947 partition was untenable. The so-called two-state solution no longer appears viable. Could the Trusteeship Council be the last hope to end atrocities and create peace and security in the region?

One proposed solution is establishing a UN protectorate over Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem for a 10-year period. If, after the trial, a new Palestine emerges with equal democratic rights for Jews, Muslims, Christians, and others, only time will tell.

Israel would likely protest UN control, supported by the US and allies. However, a protectorate or trusteeship could be established via the General Assembly rather than the Security Council, avoiding an expected US veto.

The global community cannot continue to witness suffering and destruction in Gaza and the West Bank. To prevent further violence and avert military escalation, a bold diplomatic solution must be tried.

The UN is the only body capable of ending this crisis. The founders of the UN Charter 80 years ago provided the tools—now it is up to the international community to use them.

Ingeborg Breines is a former director of UNESCO and former president of the International Peace Bureau.