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On Tuesday, a UN report was issued presenting damning evidence that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The key issue now is how to stop the genocide and protect the Palestinian people, while knowing that any resolution at the UN Security Council will likely to be blocked by an American veto.

Israel — as Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye, has stated — goes wherever it wants, whenever it wants. It does not respect any borders or any country’s sovereignty. It needs to be stopped. Despite the increasing efforts toward legal recognition of Palestinian statehood, the Palestinians are still facing a genocide. Even if a Palestinian state is recognized by the international community, that state cannot be implemented if its population is being massacred and whoever is left is ethnically cleansed.

The international community can bypass the American veto by using UN General Assembly Resolution 377 (V), which is known as the “Uniting for Peace” resolution. It states that “if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security.”

The resolution adds: “(An) emergency special session shall be called if requested by the Security Council on the vote of any seven members, or by a majority of the members of the United Nations.”

A Palestinian state cannot be implemented if its population is being massacred and whoever is left is ethnically cleansed

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

This measure has been used 13 times since it was introduced in 1950. It was, for example, used in 1956 to deploy armed forces in the Sinai against the will of the French and the British, which vetoed a resolution on the matter in the UNSC. Craig Mokhiber, a former UN human rights official, has said in an that Uniting for Peace could be used in relation to the Gaza genocide.

Uniting for Peace could be used to call for a resolution with specific actions in Gaza. Mokhiber mentioned it could provide a mandate for a “multinational protection force to be deployed to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of Israeli crimes and begin the process of recovery and reconstruction.”

In my opinion, it should start with the deployment of a naval force to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla to make sure it reaches Gaza and can deliver aid. The flotilla set sail from Bizerte port in Tunisia on Monday after being the target of two attacks last week. It is heading to Gaza to break the siege and deliver aid to the civilian population. However, the flotilla is not immune from further attacks.

The flotilla was attacked while in Tunisia and the chances are it will be attacked again if there is no deterrent in place

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

We all remember what happened to the Gaza Freedom in 2010, when activists were brutally slaughtered by Israel while trying to break the siege on Gaza. The current flotilla was attacked while in Tunisia and the chances are it will be attacked again if there is no deterrent in place.

Today, there is an opportunity to enact the Uniting for Peace resolution. There is a deadline set by the UNGA a year ago that will expire on Thursday. The assembly declared last year that if Israel does not comply with the findings of the International Court of Justice and comply with its demands, including withdrawing from the Occupied Territories, further measures will be adopted. A multinational force could be one such measure. This week’s UN report clearly proves that Israel has not complied with any of the demands — on the contrary, it is committing genocide.

The flotilla includes European members of parliament, who can back such a resolution by asking their countries to protect them. Any attack on the flotilla is an attack on all those who are on board. The EU has been slow to react to the ongoing genocide, especially with members like Germany unconditionally supporting Israel. Nevertheless, the EU last week proposed extremist settlers and suspending trade-related measures. Hence, the mood is shifting.

The world has to act quickly, as the Palestinian people are facing extermination. How much longer can they go without food, medicine or shelter? For how long can they be bombed? The world must act now. It is time for the world to unite for peace in Palestine.

• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.