As the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session opens on Tuesday, a former UN official has called on member states to take urgent action to end the “genocide and apartheid” in Gaza.

Craig Mokhiber, a former director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who resigned in Oct 2023 in protest against the genocide in Gaza, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said the 79th session of the UNGA has not yet concluded, allowing for immediate measures under the “Uniting for Peace” framework.

Mokhiber outlined a series of steps the UN could take with a two-thirds majority vote, which he said would be immune to vetoes from the United States, Israel, or any UN official.

These measures, he mentioned, include denying Israel’s credentials to the UNGA, imposing sanctions and a military embargo on Israel, and establishing a criminal tribunal to investigate war crimes.

The other measures include reactivating anti-apartheid mechanisms previously used in international diplomacy and deploying a UN protection force in Palestine to safeguard civilians, facilitate humanitarian aid, preserve evidence of genocidal crimes, and assist in reconstruction.

“Write, speak out, & demonstrate to demand that delegations act now to make this happen. The UN itself is on trial. Will it act now to save lives and preserve its own legitimacy? Or will it go the way of the League of Nations,” he wrote.

UN rights chief condemns sanctions on Palestinian NGOs helping ICC probe into Israel https://t.co/z8StsBjiWk

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) September 7, 2025

Under Resolution 377A (V), also known as ‘Uniting for Peace’, which was adopted by the UNGA on November 3, 1950, an emergency special session can be convened within 24 hours.

“If the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommendations to Members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security,” reads the resolution.

Mokhiber’s call comes amid growing international outcry against the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has claimed nearly 65,000 lives, mostly women and children.

The genocidal war completed 700 days on Friday amid a fresh offensive in Gaza City by the Israeli occupation army.