The Disastrous Relationship Between Israel, Palestinians and the U.N.
About this episode
Triggered by the May 10, 2024 UN General Assembly vote (143-9) on Palestinian qualification for full membership, Klein asks Yale law professor Aslı Bâli to explain the widening chasm between Israel and the UN — ironic given the UN's role in partitioning the land and creating Israel. Bâli traces international law from the League of Nations' Palestine mandate through partition, war, and decolonization, arguing Palestine is the last unresolved decolonization file, explaining the disproportionate UN focus. On the current war, she says Hamas violated the laws of war on October 7 (deliberate civilian targeting, hostage-taking), but argues Israel's aim of destroying Hamas is a dubious object under international humanitarian law, naming blocked humanitarian aid as the most documentable violation alongside indiscriminate killing with heavy weaponry in dense civilian areas. She contends US Security Council vetoes reflect realpolitik, warning that in a multipolar era, great powers increasingly cite American precedents.