Israel's reign of terror imperils global peace and security

UN CHARTER BREACHED

- DR RENEVA FOURIE

ON THE eve of the opening of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Israel on Tuesday once again displayed its contempt for international law and peace.

In a brazen operation in Qatar, Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas’s political leadership as they gathered to consider the US President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The strike, condoned by the US in the capital of its ally, exposed Washington’s treachery and moral bank-tuptcy. This was not a battlefield strike but coldblooded, extrajudicial murder on the soil of a sovereign state with which Israel maintains no hostilities.

It was a direct assault on the principles that underpin global order, raising the stark question of whether we are witnessing the death of red lines.

Qatar has often served as a mediator, providing a guaranteed safe space for dialogue, a fundamental requirement for conflict resolution. Turning that space into a site of political killings sends a message that no territory is off limits and no negotiating process is protected.

Article 2(4) of the UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Article 33 obliges states to resolve disputes through peaceful means. Assassinating political representatives on foreign soil is a breach of both.

Israel and the US claim to act in the name of security. Yet their actions in Doha have produced the opposite. International practice rests on the understanding that those who engage in talks can do so without fear of physical reprisal.