Having served as a professor of international relations at Sciences Po, culture minister in Lebanon and a United Nations diplomat, Ghassan Salamé is the author of a new book, La Tentation de Mars. Guerre et Paix au XXIe Siècle ("The Temptation of Mars: War and Peace in the 21st Century," untranslated), published in March.
The situation in Gaza represents a significant case of forceful deregulation, a kind of deluge of fire that followed the unprecedented action of October 7, 2023. We are witnessing a total ignoring of humanitarian law, the disproportionate use of force and the confirmation of what we already know: In 21st-century conflicts, the vast majority of victims are civilians.
As for the United Nations' impotence, it confirms what people too often forget: This organization is a collection of institutions, each operating according to its own culture, with varying degrees of connection. Some, such as the World Food Program and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, have become indispensable in dealing with major tragedies. Despite the paralysis of the Security Council and the overall political climate, these agencies continue to operate according to their assigned missions.
Of course. I'm not sure that the campaign against it was anything other than political. Very quickly, the countries that were accommodating to the Israeli position [which accused the UN agency of employing more than "450 terrorists"], particularly the Western countries, realized that the situation in Gaza was dire and would be even more so without UNRWA.
The United States has maintained the same level of permissiveness toward Israel that has existed since Harry Truman's presidency [1945-1953]. They have not indicated to the Israeli authorities that they are willing to wield the "stick" by interrupting their arms supplies. On the contrary, President Biden signed [in April] the bill allocating Israel over $14 billion as part of an international aid package [which also includes Ukraine and Taiwan]. Despite the seriousness of the situation in Gaza, I believe that what is happening there is a deception.
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