The responsibility to protect and the United Nations Security Council: assessing the application of the responsibility to protect doctrine in Palestine

Abstract

Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle in the context of Palestine, with a main focus on the role of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the impact of veto power of the permanent five (P5) on humanitarian intervention. To achieve the main objective of the analysis, the legal framework of R2P and the United Nations Security Council’s voting patterns in regards to resolutions adopted for the state of Palestine will be examined. The investigation of the UN resolutions, international legal instruments, and the case studies indicate challenges in an enforcement of the R2P principle, as well as where geopolitical interests could influence legal and institutional responses. In turn, the future need to reassess the limitations of the UNSC and its impact on the credibility of international law in addressing violations of human rights is being investigated.