The current Israeli government is a terrorist government that endangers international peace and security within the meaning of article 39 of the UN Charter. Hitherto action by the Security Council has been blocked by the abuse of the veto power by the United States. Thus it becomes the responsibility of the UN General Assembly to adopt a “Uniting for Peace” resolution and assume its responsibilities for peacekeeping pursuant to the UN Charter. Indeed, there is a danger of major escalation and possibly a nuclear confrontation if countries in the region like Turkey, Pakistan and Iraq were to become involved in the Israeli-Iran conflict.
The General Assembly should adopt a resolution expelling Israel from membership in the United Nations, as envisaged in article 6 of the Charter. Even if the expulsion could be blocked by a veto by the United States, the General Assembly could still assert its authority by denying accreditation to Israeli diplomats, as it did 1974 with regard to Apartheid-South African diplomats. At that time it was a matter of Apartheid, an crime against humanity. Today we are confronted with a far more dangerous situation emerging from Israeli aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
The General Assembly should call on all states to immediately break all commercial and diplomatic relations with Israel and take appropriate measures to arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu, who should be tried by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant were already issued on 21 November 2024, seven months ago, and have not yet been implemented.
Israel’s unprovoked aggression against Iran raises fundamental issues about the authority and credibility of the United Nations and more generally about the continued validity of international law and an international order based on the prohibition of the threat and the use of force. Particularly corrosive are the statements by Ursula von der Leyen and G7 leaders in support of Israel. Such statements make them complicit in the crimes. We are witnessing an open rebellion against international law and morals – conducted by Israel and supported by the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany and other States that have turned their backs on the UN Charter.
Image: Saddam Hussein
In 2003, the US aggressed Iraq on completely false claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Approximately a million lives were lost. In total impunity. Now the US and Israel are using the same playbook to attack Iran with a view to enforcing regime-change, but employing evidence-free allegations that Iran is building a nuclear bomb and has an offensive nuclear weapons program, whose existence is denied even by the US Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard.
Israel has no right to “self-defence” against Iran, because Israel is the aggressor and has grossly violated article 2(4) of the UN Charter and Article 5 of the Rome Statute. It is Iran that has a right of self-defence against the unprovoked Israeli aggression. Let us not forget that Iran was in the middle of diplomatic negotiations as envisaged in article 2(3) of the UN Charter. This surprise assault on Teheran constitutes perfidy and demonstrates a very high level of cynicism and bad faith.
Israel is a country already engaged in a vicious genocidal campaign against the hapless Palestinians. Pursuant to the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinions of 9 July 2004 and 19 July 2024 the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal and Israel is obliged to withdraw from the Occupied Palestine Territories, recognize the right of return of refugees and expellees, and must also pay compensation to the victims. Evidence presented before the International Court of Justice in the case South Africa v. Israel on the issue of genocide is conclusive that genocide is being committed before our eyes. It is the urgent duty of the international community to stop this genocide and to stop Israel’s ongoing aggressions against its neighbours. Israel is out of control.
On 17 June 2025 the Geneva International Peace Research Institute issued this call to the United Nations and to all men and women of good will.
“By bombing Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu has violated article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and article 5 of the Rome Statute. This act of unprovoked aggression cannot be excused by reference to a non-existent doctrine of ‘pre-emptive attack’, which George W. Bush had invoked to attack Iraq, and does not fall within the meaning of Article 51 on the UN Charter, which allows for self-defence.
On 14 July 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). On 8 May 2018, President Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Vienna agreement and imposed a series of maximum sanctions.
One year after the US withdrawal, suffering from sanctions, Iran resumed uranium enrichment beyond the limits set by the 2015 agreement.
Israel possesses between 200 and 300 nuclear warheads outside the control of the IAEA, to which it denies access to its facilities. Double-standards cannot be applied without loss of authority and credibility.
Once again, Israel, the United States and their supporters are flouting international law and participating in a conflict that could lead to nuclear disaster.
GIPRI calls for a return to international law and the negotiations that this implies.”
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Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, Professor of international law and history at the Geneva School of Diplomacy, has been a visiting professor at numerous universities in the US, Canada, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. From 2012 to 2018 he was the UN’s Independent Expert on International Order and produced 14 reports for the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council, formulating “ 25 Principles of International Order”. From 1980 to 2003 he was a senior lawyer with the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, served as Secretary of the UN Human Rights Committee and Chief of the Petitions Department. He is the author of ten books including “Building a Just World Order” (Clarity Press, 2021), “The Genocide against the Armenians” (Haigazian University Press, Beirut, 2010, translated into Spanish and Polish), “United Nations Human Rights Committee Case Law” (N.P.Engel, Strasbourg, 2009). He has published numerous articles concerning the Armenian genocide and the right of self-determination of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and has spoken on these issues before the European Parliament. He is a US and Swiss national, resides in Geneva, Switzerland, with his wife Carla, a Dutch jurist, and was President of P.E.N. International Centre Suisse from 2006-9 and again from 2013-17.
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