Only an emergency UN multinational protective force will stop Israel’s genocide

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza has crossed every moral and legal threshold. Israel has defied over 100 United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions since 1947. Israel has acted with impunity and escaped UN sanctions because of the political protection of the United States at the UN Security Council. Israel will not stop its campaign of extermination in Gaza, its ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine, aggression against occupied Lebanon and Syria, or Yemen and Iran—with the full financial and political support of successive US governments—until Israel is forced to stop.

Protect-Palestine’s policy brief, The Case for Military Intervention to Stop the Gaza Genocide, argues that diplomatic and legal mechanisms have failed and calls for a “coalition of the willing” to enforce a ceasefire, break the blockade, and disarm Israeli military infrastructure used against Palestinian civilians.

The legal basis for such intervention is clear. Under the Genocide Convention, signatory states are obligated to punish genocide and to prevent it. The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine further affirms that other states must act when a state fails to protect its population—or the state is the perpetrator.

 A live-streaming genocide requires emergency military intervention

B’Tselem’s report Our Genocide and the Physicians for Human Rights–Israel’s report Destruction of Condition of Life: A Health Analysis of the Gaza Genocide detail a deliberate campaign of mass killings, starvation, displacement and destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. “It is a clear and explicit attempt to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza and create catastrophic living conditions that prevent the continued existence of this society in Gaza. That is precisely the definition of genocide.” Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has called Israel’s campaign “criminal killing of civilians.” Holocaust scholars Omer Bartov and Raz Segal have declared that Israel’s actions constitute genocide. The Israeli reports amplify the analysis of the United Nations, Amnesty International, Doctors Against Genocide, Doctors without Borders and Human Rights Watch, which all accuse the State of Israel of Genocide.

People Against Genocide Everywhere call for an emergency protective force to stop Israel’s genocide and echo accusations by the Israeli human rights organizations: the destruction of Gaza is not incidental—it is an intentional strategy. The starvation of civilians, the targeting of aid seekers, and the obliteration of cultural and social institutions are not tactics of war—they are tools of extermination.

Multiple petitions by worldwide people of conscience demand an immediate multinational UN armed protective force be deployed to Gaza to protect the civilian population. The American Educational Trust petition demands the UN to Deploy an Emergency Protective Force to Palestine. The Protect-Palestine petition calls for Urgent International Military Protection for Palestinians.

Bypassing the UN Security Council deadlock

Israel will not stop its genocide voluntarily. The international community must force it to stop. Craig Mokhiber, former director of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “The only way to stop the genocide is to get a force in there that is mandated to, firstly, protect civilians….to secure and support the distribution of humanitarian aid… and preserve the evidence of Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.” Ambassador Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of Palestine to the United Nations made an emotional plea for the deployment of an UN-mandated multinational force on 28 May 2025 at the UN Security Council. He said, “Stop this genocide, or forever remain silent. The Palestinian people did not surrender—neither should you.”

One of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in international law is the Uniting for Peace mechanism. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1950 (Resolution 377), it allows the Assembly to recommend collective action—including the use of force—when the Security Council is paralyzed by vetoes. This mechanism was designed precisely for situations like Gaza, where permanent members of the Security Council (notably the United States) block resolutions that could hold Israel accountable. The General Assembly has invoked this mechanism 13 times between 1951 and 2022 in past crises, including Korea, Suez, and Afghanistan. Uniting for Peace remains a viable path for bypassing the Security Council and mobilising international action.

How to invoke the Uniting for Peace mechanism

There is a clear legal and procedural pathway under UN General Assembly Resolution 377 (V) to invoke the Uniting for Peace mechanism and authorise a multinational protective force to prevent genocide and to stop it—such as in Gaza. This is the procedure.

Security Council deadlock: The Uniting for Peace mechanism is triggered when the UN Security Council fails to act due to vetoes or lack of consensus—especially in cases threatening international peace, such as genocide.

Emergency special session: Any UN member state or a majority of UN members can request the General Assembly to convene an Emergency Special Session within 24 hours.

General Assembly vote: During the Emergency Special Session, the General Assembly can recommend collective action, including the deployment of a multinational armed force to protect civilians and restore peace. A two-thirds majority is typically required for substantive recommendations.

Mandate for protective force: The General Assembly can authorize an UN-mandated multinational force with a specific mandate, including:

• Protect civilians from further violence and displacement
• Ensure humanitarian access to food, water, shelter, energy, and medical care.
• Preserve evidence of war crimes and genocide
• Support reconstruction and return of displaced populations

Implementation of UN multinational force: Member states voluntarily contribute troops, logistics, and funding. The force operates under UN command or a hybrid structure, depending on the resolution.

The world has watched genocides unfold in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Myanmar and did nothing to stop the perpetrators. Each time, the refrain was “never again.” Each time, it was too late. The world has been live-streaming Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. Genocide is an ongoing apocalyptic reality for millions of Palestinians—half of whom are children. Never again is NOW!

Israel will not stop its genocide in Gaza until Israel is forced to stop. The legal authority exists. The moral obligation is undeniable. The mechanisms are in place. What remains is the will to act.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.