France and Spain renew push to curb UN veto power

France and Spain have renewed calls to limit the use of veto powers at the UN Security Council, arguing the mechanism has repeatedly paralyzed global action in the face of humanitarian crises like Gaza. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the council must be restructured to reflect current geopolitical realities, advocating permanent seats for African nations as well as Japan, Germany, and Brazil.

Barrot noted that France and Mexico have long championed an initiative to restrict veto rights in cases of mass atrocities, with the backing of over 20 countries, criticizing the council’s failure to act collectively on Gaza. “We must unlock decisions that are blocked by veto when basic human rights are at stake,” he said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares echoed the call, stressing that Spain’s position on upholding international law applies equally to Gaza, and Sudan. He urged unhindered aid access to Gaza, accountability for attacks on humanitarian workers, and respect for International Court of Justice rulings. “Israel cannot have a right of veto,” Albares said, as the Red Cross warned that Gaza’s fragile so-called ceasefire remains “highly complex, sensitive, and dangerous.”

US shielding of Israel at the UNSC comes when US's own agencies have reported on Israel's violations of US laws in relations to human rights.

US watchdog flags 'many hundreds' of possible Israeli crimes in Gaza

A classified US government assessment reports that Israeli occupation forces may have committed many hundreds of potential violations of US human rights laws in Gaza, with a full review expected to take the State Department multiple years.

The report, issued by the Office of the Inspector General, is the first US government document to acknowledge the scale of such allegations under the Leahy Laws, which prohibit the US from providing foreign assistance when there is “credible information” that there have been gross human rights violations.

According to anonymous officials cited in the report, accountability is imperiled by a review process that defers heavily to Israeli military judgments and by the sheer volume of cases.

UN experts condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza and Trump’s 'peace' plan

UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese said the situation in Gaza exposes the UN’s failure to uphold its founding principles. She warned that the “Palestinian sacrifice mirrors the incapacity of the international community” and said the UN is “not able to preserve peace and stability.” Albanese called for holding states and officials personally liable for supplying weapons to Israel, saying they are complicit in ongoing atrocities.

UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights Ben Saul described President Trump’s 20-point peace plan as “deeply inconsistent” with international law and the rulings of the International Court of Justice. He said the proposal denies Palestinian self-determination and replicates “colonial practices” by placing Gaza’s future under a US-led “board of peace” lacking legitimacy.

Chris Sidoti, a member of the UN inquiry commission on Palestine, said his team found evidence of genocidal acts by Israel in four of the five categories defined under the UN Genocide Convention, in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity.