Eli Cohen, the foreign minister of Israel, claims that Antonio Guterres' use of UN Charter Article 99 puts the world's peace at jeopardy. As the leader of the UN, Guterres used his executive authority to bring up the Gaza issue in front of the Security Council.
The UNSC's next steps are still up in the air as they wait to pass a resolution calling for an end to hostilities. Russia has blocked one resolution and the US has vetoed another. Guterres has been pushing for a quick humanitarian ceasefire since October 18.
In his most recent appeal, he berated the Security Council's passivity and emphasized the terrible circumstances in Gaza, where hundreds of civilians—mostly women and children—are dying every day. Invoking Article 99, Guterres underlined his dissatisfaction at the Security Council's continued inaction. He issued a warning, saying that if nothing is done, public order in Gaza may disintegrate and the humanitarian system may fall apart entirely.
For the first time since taking office in 2017, the UN Secretary-General has used Article 99 of the UN Charter. The UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, claims that Antonio Guterres took this extraordinary step in response to the substantial number of people who died in Gaza and Israel in a short amount of time. Dujarric described the use of Article 99 as a daring and significant constitutional move.
Dujarric explained that the Secretary-General wanted to put more pressure on the Security Council and the international community to demand that the parties involved in the conflict end their hostilities. He underlined that, in his view, the Secretary-General's most important and potent tool is undoubtedly this invocation.