Nelson Hadad: Netanyahu plans to annex Palestine to Greater Israel

JAYRO SANCHEZ

Nelson Hadad is a Chilean lawyer and university professor. He served as Chile's ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. At the end of July, in response to the crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government in the Gaza Strip, he decided to draft a letter requesting Israel's expulsion from the UN. We spoke with him about the conflict in the Middle East.

Israel and Hamas agreed last Wednesday on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza. Conceived by US President Donald Trump, the pact has been both applauded and criticized by various experts for its vagueness. How do you assess it?

The implementation of its humanitarian component seems positive to me, because it means the end of the bombings and the possibility of helping the civilian population in danger of dying of starvation. But its 20 points contain, in my opinion, several elements that make its implementation by the Israeli Prime Minister hardly credible.

It has repeatedly broken its commitments. It has not respected the established truces and continues to show its desire to exterminate the Palestinian people. I would like to remind you that the intention to systematically eliminate an ethnic group and the use of hunger as a weapon of war are classified as crimes in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948.

These crimes, which are degrading, inhuman, and abominable, challenge the moral conscience of humanity and cannot go unpunished. Many of us don't believe Netanyahu's word, as he is a war criminal and must be held accountable before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The agreement has enabled the release of hostages and bodies to both sides, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid convoys into the Strip. However, it does not clarify several issues that are important if a lasting peace is to be achieved in the region. How and at what cost will Gaza's infrastructure be rebuilt?

The initial estimate is around US$70.000 billion. According to what President Trump has said, the Arab states—and by this I assume he means the Gulf countries—are willing to collaborate with a few others in the reconstruction.

However, this is only a hypothesis. We don't know what fate the US leader and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, intend to give to Gaza. First, the rubble and remnants of the chemical weapons dropped on its cities must be cleared.

By the way, I think it's necessary to emphasize that these same projectiles, made with white phosphorus, Agent Orange, and defoliants, were banned in Geneva after their use by the U.S. in Vietnam. And now, they've caused the burn deaths of hundreds of children.

Will the territories occupied by Israel be returned to Palestine?

I don't think so. Ultimately, this Donald Trump project isn't a peace agreement. The Palestinians, who own the land, have been excluded from the negotiations. There's even been talk of starting real estate projects there to create a kind of regional French Riviera.

Furthermore, Israeli soldiers and settlers have not yet withdrawn from Gaza and the West Bank. Nor are they going to. Netanyahu and his far-right ministers are planning their annexation within Greater Israel. They will then move on to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. And this would further exacerbate the escalation of violence in the Middle East.

We must not be fooled. Declarations of recognition of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state by France, Great Britain, Spain, and other European nations are mere rhetoric.

So, shouldn't guarantees be requested from both sides to ensure the completion of military operations in the area?

Only President Trump could provide that assurance. What's unclear is how much influence he can have over his allies, because, initially, the peace plan included a point on the establishment of an independent Palestine, which was withdrawn at Netanyahu's initiative.

Could the deployment of a multinational force there be a step toward strengthening security and peace in the Middle East?

I am in favor of applying Chapter VII of the Charter of the UN. The problem lies in the US veto, which will undoubtedly be overridden when the invocation of humanitarian intervention is requested.

The current situation in the Security Council has resulted in a complete paralysis for the international body. The US has vetoed proposals for a ceasefire and humanitarian truce six times.

Therefore, we must reform the entire UN system. And, in particular, the composition of the Council, whose membership was awarded as spoils to the victors of World War II (1939-1945). The number of permanent members must be increased from 5 to 10, and India, South Africa, and Brazil must be included.

It is unacceptable for a single State to deny its authority to the other 14 members of the Council and more than 160 representatives of the General Assembly. This violates the principles of legal equality and internal democracy.

Will the leaders responsible for the genocide of the Palestinian people face criminal liability?

This is a matter of primary importance, although the peace plan document makes no mention of it. Despite this silence, the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Galant, remain in effect.

Any of the countries that signed the Rome Statute of 1998 They have an obligation to arrest them. Interpol has issued an international red alert affecting numerous airports around the world.

From a political perspective, the Israeli prime minister's position is extremely weak. In the coming months, he will have to defend himself against charges brought by the ICC. He has also been indicted on corruption charges by the Israeli Supreme Court.

For his part, Galant has been named as a senior military official responsible for the actions taking place in Gaza. But that doesn't rule out the possibility that other culprits may be uncovered during the investigation.

You are the author of a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling for Israel's expulsion from the major global forum and other international institutions. What are your reasons for this?

We, the undersigned, request this resolution due to the Israeli government's repeated disregard for nearly 100 UN provisions regarding the Palestinian issue over the past 77 years.

We are even considering invoking Resolution 377 to have the Security Council transfer its powers to the General Assembly and proceed with the international isolation of Tel Aviv.

The success of the boycott against South Africa apartheid It should serve as an example of what effective measures against the Zionist state can be. It has become a pariah, a danger to humanity.

So far, the letter has been signed by another 55.595 people. Do you think this number can be considered a success?

No. We have a goal of 100.000 signatures. In fact, that number is simply a media representation that would undermine the credibility of what some falsely call the "Middle East's only democracy."

You have served as Chile's ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. You were in the region shortly after the Palestinians and Israelis signed the 1993 Oslo Accords. How do you assess the agreements reached at those meetings?

They were a huge trap. They gave us hope that an independent Palestinian state would finally be created. But while negotiations dragged on, Jews from all over the world arrived in the West Bank to occupy its territories under the most absolute illegality. And, of course, with the connivance and protection of Israel.

On July 19, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled that the occupation of the West Bank of the Jordan River and Gaza was illegal. It violates international law and must end immediately. The settlements must be dismantled and their inhabitants evacuated.