jordan pulse -

By Rima Al-Maaytah

Each time the United Nations flag is raised in the halls of international forums, it is accompanied by slogans of peace, security, and human rights. The UN Charter, born after two devastating world wars, embodied the hope of becoming an international umbrella to uphold global peace and defend human dignity. The Charter’s chapters lay out principles and values, while Chapter Seven specifically grants binding powers to prevent the use of force or threats to security, except in the most extreme cases where no other option remains but collective deterrence.

But reality, my friends, tells a different story. Chapter Seven, originally designed to maintain peace and security, now appears as a tool selectively wielded according to interests. We see it invoked powerfully when international stakes are high, but when the balance of power shifts, the Charter’s text freezes, and UN resolutions become mere statements that rarely leave the page.

So we ask: where is this Charter amid what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon? Where are the powers the world was promised to protect innocent lives? Gaza is besieged and destroyed, and Lebanon’s children are killed in silence, while a curtain rises on double standards that view massacres as “internal affairs.” Do innocent lives not deserve the forces of Chapter Seven to rally on their behalf? Are not these crimes a violation of everything inscribed in the Charter?

Ladies and gentlemen, the United Nations faces a harsh test. Either it proves that these principles and laws were written to be respected and enforced, or it becomes clear that justice is nothing more than a fleeting slogan. Will this Charter remain mere words repeated, or will it come alive as a true support for the vulnerable?

Rima Al-Maaytah