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Change the World

Model United Nations

Rome

2020

United Nations Security Council

“Escalating humanitarian crisis, casualties

and displacement across the Gaza Strip”

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Cover: Palestinian children play outside their home in the poverty-stricken quarter of Al-Zaytoon in Gaza City [Ezz Zanoun/Apaimages] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180525-unprecedented-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza-says-un-update/

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Distinguished Delegates,

Welcome to the 2020 Change the World Model Rome (CWMUN). As your committee Dais, we are

looking forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas for solving international problems.

The United Nations (UN) depends on the cooperation and goodwill of its 193 Member States.

Because each state has unique interests and concerns, it is challenging to write, negotiate, and pass

resolutions. Every stage of the process demands creativity and diplomacy.

You will be discussing this topic:

- Escalating humanitarian crisis, casualties and displacement across the Gaza Strip.

While we may all lead different lives and face different daily struggles, we have to bear in mind that

we all share the same world and the same resources. Whether it is environmental problems or

political unrest, what is happening in the world concerns all of us. Only through mutual

understanding, unity, and collaboration can we lay the foundations of a worthier world

As your committee DAIS, we will work to keep the committees running smoothly. We will do our

best to help you understand the procedures and to ensure that the views of all delegates are heard

and respected.

We look forward to seeing you at the LUISS University in Rome and wish you the very best in your

preparations.

Sincerely,

CWMUN

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PLEASE NOTE that in this Guide all expressions written in blue and underlined are active links to websites and documents. You are encouraged to explore them.

Index

What is this activity about pag. 5

What should you do now pag. 5

What will you do during the simulation pag. 5

What is a resolution pag. 5

Tips(!) pag. 5

Remember pag. 6

People to follow pag. 6

United Nations Security Council

Maintaining Peace and Security pag. 7

Organization pag. 8

Countries to know pag. 8

Escalating humanitarian crisis, casualties and displacement across the Gaza Strip

Historical background pag. 10

Attempts to solve the problem pag. 13

What is a “humanitarian crisis”? pag. 13

The persistence of the crisis pag. 13

Displacement and humanitarian crisis nowadays pag. 14

The restriction of humanitarian staff pag. 14

Save the Children issues pag. 15

UN in action pag. 15

What’s new? pag. 17

Bibliography pag 18

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What is this activity about?

Model United Nations is a role-playing game.

Your task is to impersonate a diplomat of the

assigned State and present the perspective of

this State’s current government

What should you do now?

Before the Simulation, you should write down

and bring with you:

- The Position Paper, a two-page long

document presenting the policy of your State

on the three topics.

- Handbook, a collection of relevant UN

resolutions, reports, academic studies, and

news from reliable media.

- Some topics for Moderated Caucus debates,

i.e. for short formal debates which should cover

narrow aspects of each topic. For example,

within the topic Violence against women

Delegates can hold a caucus Ways of

preventing genital mutilation.

- Ideas for the Resolution, i.e. at least two or

three paragraphs that your State would like to

include in the preamble and/or in the main

body of the Resolution.

You should also learn Rules of procedure.

What will you do during the Simulation?

In Moderated Caucus you will hold short formal

debates (usually 10-15 minutes long) on details

of each topic. Delegates will present the policy

and solutions of the represented States in very

short (usually one minute) speeches.

In Unmoderated Caucus, you will walk around

the room freely and informally engage with

other Delegates to agree on your policies and

solutions and to write draft resolutions

together as a Coalition.

Draft resolutions will be checked and possibly

edited by Chair and Director to conform to all

formal requirements. Eventually, Coalitions will

present their draft resolutions to the whole

Committee. Other Delegates will debate and

possibly amend the draft resolutions, and then

vote for or against. The scope for the

Committee as a whole is to produce a

resolution on at least one topic from the

agenda. The order of topics might change you

must be ready to work on all of them!

What is a resolution?

A Resolution is a very specific document, built

of Preamble and Main body, expressing the will

of a particular UN Committee agreed upon by

its Member States.

Resolutions are central to the UN and thus

MUN gives all participants the opportunity to

understand the process of creating them.

Please seize this opportunity and prepare in

advance at least one or two paragraphs per

each topic!

Sample resolution: Resolution 2349 (2017)

https://undocs.org/S/RES/2349(2017)

Tips (!)

Learn about your State from the CIA World

Factbook, from the official website of your

State’s permanent mission to the United

Nations, and from other government websites

(for example the website and social media

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profiles of the Royal Family or President, Prime

Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs...).

Make sure to know as much as possible about

the foreign relations of your State with all

States listed here! Consider that at the United

Nations, States generally lean towards their

own geopolitical blocks: Western, Former

Soviet, African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Latin

American... Consider also organizations such as

the European Union (EU), African Union, Arab

League, Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN), The Union of South American Nations

(USAN)...

REMEMBER!

Your task is to present the official position of

your assigned state. Misrepresenting this

position and/or representing your private

views is against the rules, even if you do not

agree with your State’s position. In any case,

you must not hyperbolize nor satirize the

position of your State. Humor, and especially

sarcasm, is generally not typical for formal

writing nor formal debates. Although MUN

welcomes wit and smart puns, please always be

extremely considerate when using humor.

People to follow:

UN official account: https://twitter.com/UN

)

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United Nations Security Council

The UN Charter established six main organs of

the United Nations, including the Security

Council. It gives primary responsibility for

maintaining international peace and security

to the Security Council, which may meet

whenever peace is threatened.

All members of the United Nations agree to

accept and carry out the decisions of the

Security Council. While other organs of the

United Nations make recommendations to

member states, only the Security Council has

the power to make decisions that member

states are then obligated to implement under

the Charter.

Article 35 allows all States to bring before the

Security Council (UNSC) any controversy

susceptible of disrupting international peace

and security. The same power is given to the

General Assembly (article 11), as well as the

Secretary General (article 99). When any of

these three uses this prerogative, the UNSC

members are obliged to meet.

Maintaining Peace and Security:

When a complaint concerning a threat to

peace is brought before it, the Council’s first

action is usually to recommend that the

parties try to reach agreement by peaceful

means. The Council may:

● set forth principles for such an

agreement;

● undertake investigation and

mediation, in some cases;

● dispatch a mission;

● appoint special envoys; or

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● request the Secretary-General to use

his good offices to achieve a pacific

settlement of the dispute.

When a dispute leads to hostilities, the

Council’s primary concern is to bring them to

an end as soon as possible. In that case, the

Council may:

● issue ceasefire directives that can help

prevent an escalation of the conflict;

● dispatch military observers or a

peacekeeping force to help reduce

tensions, separate opposing forces

and establish a calm in which peaceful

settlements may be sought.

Beyond this, the Council may opt for

enforcement measures, including:

● economic sanctions, arms embargoes,

financial penalties and restrictions,

and travel bans;

● severance of diplomatic relations;

● blockade;

● or even collective military action.

A chief concern is to focus action on those

responsible for the policies or practices

condemned by the international community

while minimizing the impact of the measures

taken on other parts of the population and

economy.

Another important aspect of the Security

Council is the voting system. Article 27.3 of the

UN Charter gives to the 5 permanent

members “veto power”, meaning that for a

decision to pass, all 5 of the permanent

members must be in favour; even if a single

one of them is against the decision, then the

resolution will not pass. During the vote, the

“abstention” of one the 5 members is,

nonetheless, allowed (abstention means

deciding not to take part to a vote). This

means that a decision can pass even if one of

the “big 5” has decided to abstain from the

vote. There is, however, one exception to the

veto rule. Article 27.2 of the Charter provides

that when the matter under review of the

UNSC is of “procedural nature” (such as the

election of the Secretary General, the creation

of subsidiary organs, or even inviting non-

member States to take part to the SC’s

meetings), then a 9 out of 15 majority will

apply, and no permanent member can impose

its veto.

Organization:

The Security Council held its first session on 17

January 1946 at Church House, Westminster,

and London. Since its first meeting, the

Security Council has taken permanent

residence at the United Nations Headquarters

in New York City.

First Session of the United Nations Security Council in London, United

Kingdom on 17 January 1946. Credits: UN Photo/Marcel Bolomey.

Countries to know

The Council is composed of 15 Members:

● five permanent members: China,

France, Russian Federation, the United

Kingdom, and the United States,

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● ten non-permanent members elected

for two-year terms by the General

Assembly (with end of term date):

o Belgium (2020)

o Dominican Republic (2020)

o Germany (2020)

o Indonesia (2020)

o South Africa (2020)

• Niger (2021) • Tunisia (2021) • Vietnam (2021)

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2021)

o Estonia (2021)

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Escalating humanitarian crisis, casualties and

displacement across the Gaza strip

Palestinians walk during the sunset between the rubble of their destroyed building in Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City in the

northern Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014. Credits: Adel Hana / AP.

Historical background

In 1947, the UN voted for a two-State solution

for the British mandate of Palestine. Israel

declared independence on the eve of the

British departure, in 1948. Soon the conflict

between the newborn State and an Arab Front

lacerated the whole region. The timeline of

the so-called Israeli-Arab war has four

essential check points, corresponding to four

different armed clashes:

• 1948-1949: the first Arab-Israeli war began

when Israel, immediately after its

declaration of independence, was attacked.

At the end of the fight, Jordan annexed

West Bank and eastern Jerusalem and Egypt

occupied Gaza. The Armistice agreements

left Israel with more territory than

envisaged under the Partition Plan,

including western Jerusalem.

• 1956-1957: Israel colludes with Britain and

France to invade Egypt during the Suez

Crisis, in order to re-open the canal, largely

owned by British and French enterprises,

closed by Egypt’s pan-Arab nationalist

president Nasser, to Israeli shipping and end

armed incursions by Palestinians from Sinai.

Israel’s forces had invaded Egypt’s Sinai

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Peninsula but were forced to withdraw in

1957 after a UN emergency force was

stationed in the area.

• 1967: After Egypt's expulsion of the UN

buffer force from Sinai and the closure of

the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, Israel

launches a pre-emptive attack on Egypt,

causing Jordan and Syria (Egypt’s allies) to

join the conflict – it is the beginning of the

Six Days War. On this occasion, Israel got in

control of East Jerusalem, all of the West

Bank, the Gaza strip, the Golan Heights, and

Sinai.

• 1973: Egypt and Syria launched co-

ordinated attacks against Israeli forces in

the occupied Sinai and Golan Heights during

the Yom Kippur. Israel prevailed only after

suffering significant losses.

The 1967 war is particularly important for

today’s conflict, as it left Israel in control of

the West Bank and Gaza Strip, two territories

home to large Palestinian populations.

Today, the West Bank is nominally controlled

by the Palestinian Authority but is under

Israeli occupation. Furthermore, the presence

of Israeli “settlers”, Jews who build ever-

expanding communities in the West Bank,

effectively denies the land to Palestinians.

Gaza, instead, is controlled by Hamas, an

Islamist fundamentalist party, and is under

Israeli blockade but not ground troop

occupation.

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Credits: Noorrovers

Credits: FDFA

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Attempts to solve the conflict

Generally speaking, two approaches have

been proposed as the solution of an

apparently infinite conflict. The “two-state

solution” approach would establish Palestine

as an independent state in Gaza and most of

the West Bank, leaving the rest of the land to

Israel. Though the two-state plan is clear in

theory, the two sides are still deeply divided

over how to make it work in practice. The is a

“one-state solution,” wherein all of the land

becomes either one big Israel or one big

Palestine. Most observers think this would

cause more problems than it would solve, but

this outcome is becoming more likely over

time for political and demographic reasons.

From a diplomatic point of view, however, the

most relevant step have been taken in

September 1993, when Israel and the

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed

the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian

Self-Rule, the first agreement between the

two sides and the initial document in what

became generally known as the Oslo Accords.

In this occasion, the PLO recognized Israel’s

right to exist, renounced terrorism, and

agreed to change the portions of its charter

that called for Israel’s destruction while Israel

recognized the PLO as the sole representative

of the Palestinian people.

Moreover, the accords embodied two basic

sets of exchanges. As Israel would shed

responsibility for the Palestinian population

while retaining strategic control of the

territory – ridding the Palestinians of Israeli

military rule, the PLO’s disavowal of violence

and terrorism—would improve Israel’s

security.

What is a “humanitarian crisis”

A humanitarian crisis (or humanitarian

disaster) occurs when the human, physical,

economic or environmental damage from an

event overwhelms a community’s capacity to

cope. It could be created both by human or by

nature.

A natural emergency is caused by:

• Earthquakes, volcanos, landslides,

avalanches, tsunamis;

• Storms, cyclones, hurricanes,

typhoons, blizzards;

• Floods, storm surges;

• Droughts, extreme temperatures,

wildfires

• Epidemics, infestations

A human-made catastrophe may include:

• conflict or war;

• environmental degradation;

• pollution and industrial accidents.

When a crisis occurs, international

organizations should focus their efforts on the

most jeopardized areas, such as:

• Water and sanitation;

• Health and nutrition;

• Food;

• Child protection;

• Education for children;

• Shelter;

• Humanitarian protection;

• Humanitarian advocacy.

The persistence of the crisis

Despite the greetings of the Oslo Agreements,

the conflict continues, inflicting an appalling

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cost on the populations of both sides, and an

economic, social and humanitarian crisis

prevails in the occupied Palestinian territory

(OPT).

A protracted protection crisis continues,

mainly because of Israel’s ongoing

occupation. A sharp deterioration in the

humanitarian, human rights, security and

political situation in the Gaza Strip has been

registered in 2018. The health system, on the

verge of collapse following years of blockade

and de-development, is now overburdened

with massive casualties from the ongoing

“Great March of Return” demonstrations. The

economy is in ‘free fall’ according to the World

Bank, and poverty, unemployment, and food

insecurity are increasing, as are other core

drivers of humanitarian need.

This deterioration is exacerbated by

significant shortfalls in donor support for the

Palestinian Authority (PA), UNRWA and

humanitarian operations in general,

undermining the ability of the international

community to effectively respond to

increasing need.

While the humanitarian situation in the West

Bank is less acute, economic growth there is

also slowing down. Israel’s direct military

occupation continues and with it the

appropriation of land and resources. The PA is

prevented from operating in East Jerusalem

and Area C, which represent more than 60 per

cent of the West Bank and contain the most

valuable natural resources. A coercive

environment intensifies, driven by

demolitions, forced evictions, discriminatory

planning, access restrictions, settlement

expansion, and settler violence, generating a

risk of forcible transfer for many Palestinians.

Displacement and humanitarian crisis

nowadays

The United Nations Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

established in 2002 its Country Office in the

OPT and it supports international efforts to

respond to the crisis since then: OCHA

monitors displacement of Palestinians, they

are primarily the result of damage or

destruction on the territory during military

operation in the last few years.

The inability of Palestinian Government of

National Consensus to assume effective

government functions leads to the

impossibility in rebuilding homes and

facilities. This condition is aggravated by a

restriction on the import of building materials

from Israel.

The people displaced since 2014 are over

12,000 and the lack of found prevents

implementation of several projects. The

Shelter Cluster, a coordination mechanism

that supports people affected by armed

conflict, was forced to reduce cash and NFIs

(Non-Food Items) sent to Palestine refugees

and stop the repairs of vulnerable households.

Between March 25th and 27th, 2019, the most

significant escalation of hostilities since 2014

produced in the Gaza Strip a further

displacement: it is documented that only 32

residential houses and 33 other non-

residential units survived the air raid, forcing

a total of 16 families to leave their home.

The restriction of humanitarian staff

Since early 2018 the Israeli authorities have

imposed restrictions on the movement of

humanitarian staff in and out Gaza: more than

250 national and international personnel

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were prohibited the one-year permits that

guarantee movement in OPT and half of Gaza-

based UN staff are prevented from

participating in any mission outside the Gaza

Strip.

Even the crossing procedures at Erez are

becoming more difficult: enhanced security

measures for vehicles and restriction of items

allowed for pedestrian are challenging the

staff, whilst Hamas has re-enforced its

presence near the passage, requiring national

personnel to register every movement in and

out Gaza.

Save the Children issues

In the last few years, over half the of the Save

the Children's staff in Gaza was banned for

year-long period due to security reasons and

its national personnel has been unable to

participate in annual team meetings. These

problems caused financial and management

consequences and have jeopardized the

ability to provide humanitarian aid to

children.

UN in action

Even if the Security Council has taken no

significant steps to end the Israel-Palestine

conflict, the UN is continuing to address the

humanitarian, economic and political crisis in

the Occupied Palestinian Territory: efforts are

continually undermined by the lack of any

political progress towards a two-State

solution.

The plan of the UN for 2019 focuses on three

strategic priorities:

Strategic Objective 1

The rights of Palestinians living under

occupation, including those living under the

blockade and other restrictions, must be

protected, respected and promoted in

accordance with International Humanitarian

Law and International Human Rights Law.

Strategic Objective 2

The basic needs of vulnerable Palestinians

living under occupation must be accomplished

through the provision of quality basic services,

in accordance with the rights of protected

persons under international humanitarian

law.

Strategic Objective 3

The capacity of vulnerable Palestinians to

cope with and overcome a protracted crisis,

including from environmental threats, must

be supported, while solutions to violations

and other root causes of threats and shocks

must be pursued.

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Credits: United Nations Office for the Coordination

of Humanitarian Affairs, Occupied Palestinian

territory

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What ‘s new?

While Israel is facing some internal critical issues regarding election, corruption and the future of the government the relations between the two entities did not improve. A turbulent international context, not only because of the ongoing civil conflicts in the Middle eastern area but also because of Trump’s foreign policy decisions, is an element that contributed to what can be seen as a worsening of the crisis.

Almost every Friday since late March 2018,

Palestinians have participated in the protests

along the frontier demanding Israel lift its

restrictions on the movement of people and

goods into and out of the coastal enclave and

calling for the return of Palestinian refugees

and their descendants to lands that are now a

part of the Jewish state.

Last month fightings started after the Israel

Defense Forces killed a top commander in one

of the Islamic Jihad terror group based in

Gaza.

The situation escalated quickly, as the Al-Quds

Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, fired

some 450 rockets and mortars at Israel, which

responded with many retaliatory strikes in

Gaza.

Despite the violent escalation the protests did

not stop, giving Hamas the opportunity to

push Israel h Israel into some form of deal

Credits: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Occupied Palestinian

Territories. To check the interactive version go to: https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiNTViYTVmZDAtMGVjZC00ZDQwLTllYjgtNzgyNjhjMWQ4NzdjIiwidCI6IjBmOWUzNWRiLTU0NGYtNGY2MC1iZGNjLTVlYTQxNmU2ZGM3MCIsImMiOjh9

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Bibliography and Suggested readings

UNOCHA, Humanitarian Needs Overview 2019, Dec 2018,

https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-needs-overview-2019;

UNOCHA, Humanitarian Response Plan 2019, Dec 2018,

https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-response-plan-2019;

UNOCHA, March escalations in Gaza result more displacement, Apr 2019

https://www.ochaopt.org/content/march-escalations-gaza-result-more-displacement

UNOCHA, Increased restriction movement for humanitarian staff, Jul 2019

https://www.ochaopt.org/content/increased-restrictions-movement-humanitarian-staff-and-out-

gaza