By: Taylor Mangold, Student Reporter*

The situation in the Middle East has heated up the Security Council’s debate. Representatives from Israel and Palestine were brought to speak with the Council regarding their shared conflict within the Gaza Strip. This meeting allowed the two countries to offer their side and demands in order to enable a ceasefire. Palestine’s list of demands would include humanitarian aid, such as food, water and medical aid, as well as the 1947 State borders to be reinstated. In the event these goals are obtained, hostages would be released and a ceasefire would be called. Israel refused to give their demands without more information, although did state they could be willing to commit to a ceasefire.

It became clear when Member States convened together that borders were out of the purview of this topic, and most Representatives preferred to concentrate on the lack of resources in the Gaza Strip for the displaced refugees or focus on the release of hostages by Hamas. 

The massive shift from discussing a ceasefire to creating safe zones in the Gaza Strip began after the Israeli and Palestinian Representatives took their leave. Several Member States began to draft resolutions focused on the establishment of safe zones to encourage, as Representative Soham Gupta of the United States said, “a tried and tested method.” Representative Gupta also noted that it is better to implement a solution the United Nations has done before rather than attempt to draft a resolution without more knowledge on the subject, citing UN Resolution 819 regarding the creation of Yugoslavia’s “safe havens.”

The Council is hoping to vote in favor of a resolution. 

_{The views and opinions expressed in this article were part of simulation of the United Nations held from 18 to 21 November 2023 and do not reflect the views and opinions of the American Model United Nations Conference, American Model United Nations International, LLC., *Taylor Mangold, Purdue University Northwest or the governing bodies of the states mentioned in the article.}