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The Security Council Security Council Situation Report 13 November 2023
Situation Report on Matters Pertaining to International Peace and Security
This update complements the background guide published in the AMUN Handbook. The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question is a new topic, which was not included in the Handbook. The previous situation report of 7 November provides more background information on both the immediate security situation and the historical conflict and is recommended reading as primer for this update.
The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question
This Topic Brief is accurate as of 9 November 2023.
The situation in Gaza
Since the 7 October attack by Hamas against Israel, the Israeli military has continued to attack the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Israel has mounted military operations inside Gaza, with the apparent goal of encircling Gaza City in the north of Gaza. Israel claims Gaza City is the center of Hamas’s military infrastructure in Gaza. On 5 November, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), along with 17 other United Nations and international aid organizations, issued a statement calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The appeal noted that as of 5 November, approximately 9,500 people are believed to have been killed in Gaza, including 3,900 children. The appeal also noted that 88 workers with the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began—the highest number of non-uniformed United Nations fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict. Following negotiations between the United States of America and Israel, Israel agreed to start daily four-hour humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza to permit civilians to evacuate. As of 9 November, Israeli forces appear to be surrounding the center of Gaza City and the Al-Shifa hospital. The Israeli government has not provided a clear indication on how they will handle the Al-Shifa hospital, which Israel says is used by Hamas as a command center.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical. Of Gaza’s population of approximately 2.2 million, OCHA believes 1.5 million are internally displaced. On 8 November, 106 trucks carrying food, medicine and bottled water crossed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. However, only 65 trucks entered through the Rafah crossing on 9 November. OCHA noted prior to the conflict, approximately 500 trucks entered Gaza every day. The Israeli government has refused to permit the import of fuel for electricity into Gaza. To meet the humanitarian needs of Gaza, OCHA has issued an appeal for 1.2 billion US dollars in aid. Working with other United Nations and international aid agencies, OCHA publishes daily reports on the situation in Gaza.
The situation in the West Bank
Since capturing the West Bank in the Six-Day War, Israel has continued to maintain and establish new settlements in the region. Under the terms of the Oslo Agreement establishing peace between Israel and Palestine, Israel retained administrative control of approximately 60 percent of the West Bank, known as Area C. In the areas under Israeli control, formal and informal settlements have been established. Construction of the settlements displaced Palestinians living in the area, at times with violence. The construction of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and displacement of Palestinians contributed to violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, and received significant international criticism, including from the United Nations Security Council in 2016. Although disputed by Israel, the settlements are generally held to be illegal under international law and create obstacles to the two-state solution for peace in the region. Despite international criticism, the Israeli government has continued to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In the first six months of 2023, the Israeli government announced the construction of 12,855 new settler housing units in the West Bank, the highest number since 2012. Between 2012 and 2023, the number of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank has increased from 520,000 to 700,000. Since the start of 2023, nearly 2,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank have been displaced due to violence directed at them from Israeli settlers, 43 percent occurring since 7 October. More than one in three incidents recorded by OCHA involve settlers using firearms to threaten Palestinians, with half of the reported cases involving the Israeli military either accompanying or supporting the attackers. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 171 settler attacks against Palestinians. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem described the situation as “like a Wild West” due to the increasing severity and scale of the attacks and a sense of impunity among the settlers who feel emboldened by Israel’s war with Hamas. The Israeli military has been active in the West Bank with repeated raids in the city of Jenin to capture and arrest suspected terrorists. The Israeli raids have included airstrikes and demolitions to deter attacks from Palestinian militants. From the start of 2023 until 7 October, 197 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. Since 7 October, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank with more than 1,500 arrested.
The situation in Lebanon
On 3 November, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech addressing the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Mr. Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah’s operations were increasing “day by day,” and a further escalation along the border was possible. Hezbollah and Israeli forces remain engaged in continuous but small-scale exchanges of fire.
Bibliography
The situation in Gaza
Al-Mughrabi, Nidal, and Emma Farge (9 November 2023). Israeli forces approach key Gaza hospital; what will they do? Reuters.
Guterres, Antonio (6 November 2023). Secretary-General’s Press Conference – on the Middle East.
Madhani, Aamer, et. al. (9 November 2023). Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says. Associated Press.
Shurafa, Wafaa, Jeffery, Jack, et al. (6 November 2023). Israeli troops advance toward Gaza City as the Palestinian death toll rises above 9,000. Associated Press.
United Nations (5 November 2023). Statement by Principles of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (9 November 2023). Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #34.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (8 November 2023). Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #33.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (6 November 2023). Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2023.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The situation in the West Bank
Harbace, Claire, and Becky Sullivan (30 October 2023). In the West Bank city of Jenin, Israeli raids and strikes leave Palestinians wary. NPR News.
Israel advances peak number of West Bank settlement plans in 2023, watchdog says (13 July 2023). Reuters.
Musumeci, Natalie (1 November 2023). Settler violence has been forcing Palestinians out of the West Bank and turning the area into a ‘Wild West,’ rights group says. Business Insider via Yahoo! News.
Owda, Reham (7 March 2023). How Israeli Settlements Impede the Two-State Solution. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Planning Policy in the West Bank (6 February 2019). B’Tselem.
United Nations (23 December 2016). Israel’s Settlements Have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law, Security Council Reaffirms.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (1 November 2023). The other mass displacement: while eyes are on Gaza, settlers advance on West Bank herders.
Who are Israeli settlers, and why do they live on Palestinian lands? (6 November 2023). Al Jazeera.
The situation in Lebanon
Beaumont, Peter (2 November 2023). Tension escalates on Lebanese frontier amid Hamas and Hezbollah barrages. The Guardian.
Beaumont, Peter, and Quique Kierszenbaum (3 November 2023). Hezbollah leader threatens escalation in fighting with Israel. The Guardian.
United Nations Documents
United Nations, Security Council (2016). The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine question. S/RES/2334.
Situation Report on Matters Pertaining to International Peace and Security
This update complements the background guide published in the AMUN Handbook. The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question is a new topic, which was not included in the Handbook. The previous situation report of 7 November provides more background information on both the immediate security situation and the historical conflict and is recommended reading as primer for this update.
The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine Question
This Topic Brief is accurate as of 9 November 2023.
The situation in Gaza
Since the 7 October attack by Hamas against Israel, the Israeli military has continued to attack the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Israel has mounted military operations inside Gaza, with the apparent goal of encircling Gaza City in the north of Gaza. Israel claims Gaza City is the center of Hamas’s military infrastructure in Gaza. On 5 November, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), along with 17 other United Nations and international aid organizations, issued a statement calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The appeal noted that as of 5 November, approximately 9,500 people are believed to have been killed in Gaza, including 3,900 children. The appeal also noted that 88 workers with the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began—the highest number of non-uniformed United Nations fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict. Following negotiations between the United States of America and Israel, Israel agreed to start daily four-hour humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza to permit civilians to evacuate. As of 9 November, Israeli forces appear to be surrounding the center of Gaza City and the Al-Shifa hospital. The Israeli government has not provided a clear indication on how they will handle the Al-Shifa hospital, which Israel says is used by Hamas as a command center.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical. Of Gaza’s population of approximately 2.2 million, OCHA believes 1.5 million are internally displaced. On 8 November, 106 trucks carrying food, medicine and bottled water crossed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. However, only 65 trucks entered through the Rafah crossing on 9 November. OCHA noted prior to the conflict, approximately 500 trucks entered Gaza every day. The Israeli government has refused to permit the import of fuel for electricity into Gaza. To meet the humanitarian needs of Gaza, OCHA has issued an appeal for 1.2 billion US dollars in aid. Working with other United Nations and international aid agencies, OCHA publishes daily reports on the situation in Gaza.
The situation in the West Bank
Since capturing the West Bank in the Six-Day War, Israel has continued to maintain and establish new settlements in the region. Under the terms of the Oslo Agreement establishing peace between Israel and Palestine, Israel retained administrative control of approximately 60 percent of the West Bank, known as Area C. In the areas under Israeli control, formal and informal settlements have been established. Construction of the settlements displaced Palestinians living in the area, at times with violence. The construction of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and displacement of Palestinians contributed to violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, and received significant international criticism, including from the United Nations Security Council in 2016. Although disputed by Israel, the settlements are generally held to be illegal under international law and create obstacles to the two-state solution for peace in the region. Despite international criticism, the Israeli government has continued to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In the first six months of 2023, the Israeli government announced the construction of 12,855 new settler housing units in the West Bank, the highest number since 2012. Between 2012 and 2023, the number of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank has increased from 520,000 to 700,000. Since the start of 2023, nearly 2,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank have been displaced due to violence directed at them from Israeli settlers, 43 percent occurring since 7 October. More than one in three incidents recorded by OCHA involve settlers using firearms to threaten Palestinians, with half of the reported cases involving the Israeli military either accompanying or supporting the attackers. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 171 settler attacks against Palestinians. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem described the situation as “like a Wild West” due to the increasing severity and scale of the attacks and a sense of impunity among the settlers who feel emboldened by Israel’s war with Hamas. The Israeli military has been active in the West Bank with repeated raids in the city of Jenin to capture and arrest suspected terrorists. The Israeli raids have included airstrikes and demolitions to deter attacks from Palestinian militants. From the start of 2023 until 7 October, 197 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. Since 7 October, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank with more than 1,500 arrested.
The situation in Lebanon
On 3 November, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech addressing the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Mr. Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah’s operations were increasing “day by day,” and a further escalation along the border was possible. Hezbollah and Israeli forces remain engaged in continuous but small-scale exchanges of fire.
Bibliography
The situation in Gaza
Al-Mughrabi, Nidal, and Emma Farge (9 November 2023). Israeli forces approach key Gaza hospital; what will they do? Reuters.
Guterres, Antonio (6 November 2023). Secretary-General’s Press Conference – on the Middle East.
Madhani, Aamer, et. al. (9 November 2023). Israel agrees to 4-hour daily pauses in Gaza fighting to allow civilians to flee, White House says. Associated Press.
Shurafa, Wafaa, Jeffery, Jack, et al. (6 November 2023). Israeli troops advance toward Gaza City as the Palestinian death toll rises above 9,000. Associated Press.
United Nations (5 November 2023). Statement by Principles of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (9 November 2023). Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #34.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (8 November 2023). Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #33.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (6 November 2023). Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2023.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The situation in the West Bank
Harbace, Claire, and Becky Sullivan (30 October 2023). In the West Bank city of Jenin, Israeli raids and strikes leave Palestinians wary. NPR News.
Israel advances peak number of West Bank settlement plans in 2023, watchdog says (13 July 2023). Reuters.
Musumeci, Natalie (1 November 2023). Settler violence has been forcing Palestinians out of the West Bank and turning the area into a ‘Wild West,’ rights group says. Business Insider via Yahoo! News.
Owda, Reham (7 March 2023). How Israeli Settlements Impede the Two-State Solution. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Planning Policy in the West Bank (6 February 2019). B’Tselem.
United Nations (23 December 2016). Israel’s Settlements Have No Legal Validity, Constitute Flagrant Violation of International Law, Security Council Reaffirms.
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (1 November 2023). The other mass displacement: while eyes are on Gaza, settlers advance on West Bank herders.
Who are Israeli settlers, and why do they live on Palestinian lands? (6 November 2023). Al Jazeera.
The situation in Lebanon
Beaumont, Peter (2 November 2023). Tension escalates on Lebanese frontier amid Hamas and Hezbollah barrages. The Guardian.
Beaumont, Peter, and Quique Kierszenbaum (3 November 2023). Hezbollah leader threatens escalation in fighting with Israel. The Guardian.
United Nations Documents
United Nations, Security Council (2016). The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine question. S/RES/2334.