Why has the UN not intervened in the conflict between Israel and Palestine?

Who could mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

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Editor's Note:

This analysis is part of the May 18 issue of CNN's "Meanwhile in America," a daily newsletter on US politics for global readers.

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(CNN) -

The deadly ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the kind of challenge one would think the United Nations can solve.

After all, it played an important role in establishing Israel as a state more than 70 years ago, which the Palestinians refer to as the Nakba or "catastrophe."

But this time he is not doing much.

The powerful UN Security Council, made up of 15 countries, is in charge of preserving international peace and security.

But continuing with a decade of paralysis, that principle has not been upheld.

The Council has held a public meeting to deliver speeches and at least three private sessions since violence broke out in Israel and the Palestinian territories last week.

Humanitarian agencies and NGOs have asked the Council to do something.

A statement presented by Norway and endorsed by other countries calls for de-escalation of the fighting.

But the United States continues to use its veto power to block any formal reaction from the Council, saying it prefers to use its own diplomatic powers to calm things down.

"The United States has been working tirelessly through diplomatic channels to try to end this conflict," US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council, in line with what other US diplomats are telling ministers. of all the world.

The United States is one of the five countries that have veto power over any action they don't like by the Council.

These powers exercise control over spheres of influence on a regular basis.

Today, the United States supports Israel.

Another day, it is China that supports Myanmar's military rulers.

Or Russia slows down the Council's action on troops near Ukraine.

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Countries big and small know the game.

That's why we don't see diplomats getting on the historic horseshoe table and demanding that the United States act.

Some of the non-permanent nations on the Council are also afraid of publicly attacking such a powerful country.

But the frustrations are obvious;

as a UN diplomat told CNN, "we are also disappointed, like many other countries on the council."

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In a rare public criticism, even China's foreign minister told the council on Sunday that the United States should join the rest in talking about the Middle East.

“The Security Council has not been able to speak unanimously until today due to the obstruction of only one country.

We call on the United States to shoulder its responsibilities and take a fair position, ”Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

China has joined a geographic group trying to circumvent the US blockade by issuing its own statement.

“Norway, Tunisia and China expressed their deep concern about the situation in Gaza and the growing number of civilian victims, and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, and the protection of the civilians, especially children, ”declared the Norwegian ambassador to the UN, Mona Juul.

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The 193 member countries of the UN are ready to line up against Israel. Pakistan, which is not a member of the Council, summed up the mood with Ambassador Munir Akram's statement to CNN: “It is very regrettable that the Security Council has remained paralyzed in this crisis. The world hopes that, at the very least, the Council will call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and prevent the deaths of more innocent men, women and children.

The United States made it clear Monday through emails and phone calls that it would hamper a new attempt to pass a statement condemning the violence, although it did agree to another private discussion on Tuesday.

But do not have any illusions.

The Security Council has issued many statements on the Middle East over the years, and they rarely prevent alleged parties on the ground from causing trouble or persuade them to end it.

At present, even if a Security Council declaration is approved, without strong diplomatic backing and the will of both parties to ease tensions, the impact will be minimal.

Conflict Israel and Palestine