Almost since its creation, the UN has been involved in the Arab-Israel conflict, yet it has accomplished next to nothing in helping to solving it. Indeed, writes Mudar Zahran, it has only exacerbated it:

The UN, for six decades, has failed to produce any practical or feasible solution to the Arab-‎Israeli conflict, despite the billions of dollars that the U.S. government has given to the UN for ‎the purpose of advancing peace. Even worse, UN policies and practices have turned ‎[my] Palestinian brethren into lifelong refugees through the UN Relief and ‎Works Agency (UNRWA), whose largest donor is the U.S.

It is no secret that UNRWA has given a de-facto green light to Arab governments, including ‎that of Jordan, to abuse, isolate, and starve Palestinians so they would never integrate into their host countries and never ‎forget about Palestine. . . .

At the same time, the UN has always complicated the relationship between Palestinians and ‎Israelis by highlighting even the most minor unrest between ‎the two. This pattern of behavior on the UN’s part has expanded the conflict and killed the potential for peace.‎

Even worse, the UN has . . . attacked and compromised economic progress between Palestinians and Israelis by endorsing the boycott of Israeli ‎products, which results in [Palestinians] losing employment opportunities at Israeli ‎companies. This pushes Palestinians toward ‎hopelessness and radicalization and further kills the potential for peace.‎ . . .

The world must realize that we, the people of the region, Arabs and Israelis, can solve our problems without outside influence or UN involvement.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.