🇵🇸
Gaza · International Law · UN Security Council

There Is a
Legal Path.
The Window
Is Closing.

The US has blocked Gaza accountability through 6 vetoes and by sabotaging binding ICJ orders. But a little-known UN mechanism can bypass both — and there is a narrow window to use it.

See the 6-step strategy → What can I do?
Follow the campaign
0
US vetoes + a sabotaged ICJ order The US blocked action six times by veto — and once by hijacking a ceasefire resolution to kill a binding ICJ order. A new ICJ order changes the equation.
New ICJ order → forced veto → Uniting for Peace
6×
US vetoes at the Security Council — plus one sabotaged ICJ emergency order, traded for a phony ceasefire resolution in June 2024
3–0
South Africa's record at the ICJ — won all three emergency orders it sought. The legal team is ready.
2yr
Until final ICJ judgment — but emergency action is possible right now, before the verdict.

The Obstacle

The UN is blocked.
But not powerless.

The US has blocked Gaza accountability in two ways. Six times it used its Security Council veto. But the most consequential obstruction came without one: when South Africa won its final ICJ emergency order in May 2024 — ordering Israel to halt its Rafah offensive immediately — the US got Algeria to shred its implementing resolution and replaced it with a phony ceasefire vote. The order was never implemented. Trump's so-called Board of Peace is that same manoeuvre, vastly amplified and given colonial legitimacy.

But the architects of the UN foresaw obstruction like this. In 1950, they created a mechanism to ensure the General Assembly could act when the Security Council failed — whether by veto or by manipulation.

What is "Uniting for Peace"?
A 1950 UN resolution (GA Res. 377) that allows the General Assembly to convene within 24 hours and take action — including binding sanctions — when the Security Council fails due to a veto. It has been used 10 times. It helped end the Suez Crisis and helped dismantle apartheid.

The Strategy

A 6-step path
using existing law.

No new treaties required. No new institutions. Every step uses legal mechanisms that already exist — and that have worked before. What's needed is political will.

1
🇿🇦 South Africa

South Africa files
new ICJ emergency orders

South Africa's legal team is the strongest in the world on this case — they are 3 for 3. Israel is now occupying over half of Gaza, violating the ceasefire every day, and annexing the West Bank. The legal basis for new emergency orders is stronger than ever.

2
⚖️ International Court of Justice · The Hague

The ICJ issues
strong new orders

The ICJ issues binding emergency orders. The UN Security Council is legally obligated to implement them — which means the United States is forced to show its hand.

3
🇨🇴 Colombia · Current UNSC member

Colombia forces
a Security Council vote

Colombia — co-chair of the Hague Group with South Africa — currently sits on the Security Council. President Petro puts forward a resolution to implement the ICJ orders. This window closes in May 2026 when Petro's term ends and a right-wing successor takes over.

4
🇺🇸 United States · Permanent UNSC member

The US vetoes —
for the 7th time. And triggers everything.

The Security Council fails to act. This is the trigger. US blocking of the resolution — whether by veto, abstention or obstruction — in defiance of an ICJ order, exposes the US before the entire world and activates the Uniting for Peace mechanism.

✕ US Veto #7 — activates Uniting for Peace
5
🌍 UN General Assembly · All 193 member states

The General Assembly
invokes Uniting for Peace

With the Security Council having "failed to exercise its primary responsibility," the General Assembly convenes — within 24 hours if necessary. A two-thirds majority can pass powerful resolutions, including comprehensive mandatory sanctions. No veto applies.

6
🗳️ 193 Nations Vote

Comprehensive
mandatory sanctions on Israel

Not symbolic. Not a ceasefire plea. Comprehensive mandatory sanctions — the same model used against apartheid South Africa in 1981. This also solves the WTO problem: South Africa's Trade Minister has noted that trade restrictions on Israel would require "action by the United Nations." A strong UN resolution provides that basis.

This has worked before

The mechanism
that stopped wars
and ended apartheid.

Uniting for Peace is not an untested theory. It has been used ten times in UN history. Two precedents are directly relevant to the current situation — and both succeeded.

Critics ask: what if governments ignore a UNGA resolution? But the goal is not only compliance — it is to force governments to vote on record, expose US isolation, and give civil society, BDS movements, and allied nations a legal instrument to act on.

1956
Suez Crisis
Britain, France and Israel invaded Egypt through Gaza after Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. Uniting for Peace was invoked. The UNGA mobilised world opinion. All forces withdrew. President Eisenhower later called it a triumph of international law.
56
1981
Apartheid South Africa
The UNGA called for "comprehensive mandatory sanctions" against apartheid South Africa — explicitly naming the US veto as the reason the Security Council had failed. The resolution helped build the global coalition that ended apartheid.
81
"I like to believe that people, in the long run, are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
— Dwight D. Eisenhower, after Uniting for Peace ended the Suez Crisis

Why now

Two closing windows.
Both measured in weeks.

Window 1
Global Sumud Flotilla
departs March 29
Vessels from 60–100 countries are departing in late March. Past flotillas were attacked and abducted by Israel — creating global platforms in each country. This flotilla could demand Uniting for Peace as one of its core asks, creating a perfect storm of global pressure at exactly the right moment.
Window 2 — Critical
President Petro's term
ends May 2026
Colombia is a current UNSC member with a president who has publicly committed to Palestinian rights. His successor is expected to be right-wing. The capacity for Colombia to force a vote at the Security Council disappears in May. This is a window measured in weeks, not months.

What you can do

Ask your government:
"Why not yet?"

Most parliamentarians have never heard of Uniting for Peace. Most journalists haven't covered it. Awareness is the first bottleneck. Here is what you can do right now.

01 — Share
Spread the strategy
Share this page and the carousel with your networks. Most people — including decision-makers — have never heard that this legal path exists.
02 — Contact
Write to your MP
Ask your member of parliament, senator, or representative to push their government to support a Uniting for Peace resolution. Ask them specifically: "What is your government's position on Uniting for Peace?"
Email your representative →
03 — Read
Go deeper
Read Sam Husseini's full analysis in the Mail & Guardian and on Substack. Subscribe for updates as the strategy develops.
husseini.substack.com →

Resources

Read the full analysis

📰
How the US Government Sabotaged the Genocide Convention Orders Against Israel
Sam Husseini's full analysis of the ICJ orders, how they were blocked, and the path forward.
Mail & Guardian · Feb 2026
✍️
Sam Husseini — Substack
Independent journalism covering the Uniting for Peace strategy, the ICJ case, and US foreign policy on Gaza.
husseini.substack.com
⚖️
UN General Assembly Resolution 377 — "Uniting for Peace"
The 1950 resolution that created the mechanism. Read the full text.
UN Document · 1950
🏛️
South Africa v. Israel — ICJ Case 192
All documents, hearings, and orders from South Africa's genocide convention case at the International Court of Justice.
icj-cij.org · Live case
Hague Group Meeting · Amsterdam · March 6–7, 2026 · Days Remaining

Urgent Call to Action:
Sign On Before March 6th

The Hague Group of states meets in Amsterdam on March 6–7. Participating countries need to hear clearly — from global civil society — that it is time to stop incremental commitments and introduce a Uniting for Peace Resolution at the UN General Assembly to protect Palestinians.

Read the background & full call to action document →
For Organisations
Sign the Global Social Movement Statement

Add your organisation's name to the statement addressed to member countries and attendees of The Hague Group. Signatures are collated by country and presented directly to diplomats.

✍️ Sign as an organisation →
For Individuals
Urge the UN Secretary-General to Act

Sign the petition calling on the UN Secretary-General to demand a special session under Resolution 377. Available in Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian — Portuguese coming soon.

✍️ Sign the petition →
For Individuals
Email the UN General Assembly

Tell the UNGA you oppose the Security Council rubber-stamping Resolution 2803, and demand they support Colombia's proposal for a Protection Force for Gaza via Uniting for Peace.

📧 Email the UNGA →
The Message to Participating States

"Please listen to organised Palestinian Civil Society: Act now to introduce a Uniting for Peace Resolution at the UN General Assembly to protect Palestinians. The fate of the United Nations and any remaining possibility for peace in the world depends on your doing so — and we, global social movements, will have your back every step of the way."

Learn more about the Friends of the Hague Group campaign →

Other campaigns

More tools & organisations working on this

These groups are already organising around Uniting for Peace and related pressure campaigns. Each has something specific you can do right now.

Lifeline for Palestine

Labour-focused campaign pushing governments to support a Uniting for Peace resolution. Includes webinars, a petition, and solidarity events for trade unionists and workers' organisations.

lifelineforpalestine.com →
U4Pal — Uniting for Palestine

Has a direct "Email Your UN Diplomat" tool — the most actionable single step a citizen can take to push their country's UN mission to support a Uniting for Peace resolution.

u4pal.com →
People Against Genocide Everywhere

Petition and call-to-action hub organising around UN resolutions, Palestinian civil society demands, and international pressure campaigns. Also links to the PNGO network's global day of action.

peopleagainstgenocideeverywhere.org →
The Hague Group

The coalition of states — led by South Africa — pursuing ICJ accountability for Gaza. Their legal filings and emergency orders are the foundation of the strategy on this site.

thehaguegroup.org →
ICSGP & Friends of the Hague Group

A Palestinian-led global coalition of social movements mobilising to end the genocide in Gaza and implement Palestinian self-determination. Also hosts the Friends of the Hague Group — where civil society organisations can formally add their voice behind the states taking legal action.

Join the Friends of the Hague Group →
Sadaka · Feb 2026

A critical analysis of the Trump administration's 20-point plan for Gaza — breaking down what each point means in practice under international law.

Read the analysis (PDF) →
Papers Project

Sam Husseini's hub of strategic printable PDFs — including a flyer on Uniting for Peace designed to be distributed at events and outside UN missions. Download, print, and hand them out.

papersproject.org →

Print & distribute

Printable articles — ready to hand out

Two pieces to print and pass on. One laying out exactly how the US sabotaged the ICJ orders and what the path forward is; the other showing these arguments have deep roots — in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Both fit on two pages.

Mail & Guardian · 19 Feb 2026
How the US Government Sabotaged the Genocide Convention Orders Against Israel
Sam Husseini · 2 pages
Download PDF
The Guardian · 31 Dec 2020
Joe Biden Should End the US Pretence Over Israel's 'Secret' Nuclear Weapons
Archbishop Desmond Tutu · 2 pages
Download PDF
Sadaka · Feb 2026
The Trump 20-Point Plan for Gaza — A Critical Analysis
Sadaka — The Irish-Palestinian Alliance
Read PDF