LONDON: At last, the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. While stopping short of demanding a permanent end to the violence, it goes further than the world's top peace and security body had so far managed since the start of the current brutal phase of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last October. But the time it has taken to get to this point signals an ongoing failure of global institutions to uphold human rights.
Today's conflicts around the world — not just in Gaza, but in Sudan, Ukraine and, sadly, many other places — are bringing immense cruelty and suffering, targeted at civilian populations and civil society. One in six people are currently exposed to conflict. International rules are supposed to make sure atrocities don't happen, and if they do, the international community works to halt the bloodshed and bring those responsible to justice. But states are repeatedly flouting the rules.
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