Chile launches campaign to expel Israel from the United Nations

Human rights organizations and civil society networks in Chile are preparing to launch one of the most extensive popular campaigns against Israeli policies. The campaign is set to officially begin next Wednesday during a public gathering in Santiago, the nation’s capital.

The initiative is accompanied by an international petition addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

According to the latest figures released by organizers, the petition has so far gathered more than 57,000 signatures, with a target of reaching 100,000 in the near future.

The petition states that “the deliberate deprivation of people from water and food, the destruction of land, and environmental contamination” represent some of the most severe violations recorded in contemporary international law.

According to Chilean organizers, the surge in signatures in recent days reflects “a broad grassroots response” to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, and demonstrates that global public opinion is turning to civil pressure in the face of “decades of failure by international institutions.”

The Chilean campaign cites Article 6 of the UN Charter — which allows for expulsion of a member state for repeated violations of the organization’s principles — and calls for the official initiation of procedures to remove Israel from the United Nations.

Signatories have called on the UN Secretary-General to “suspend all institutional relations with Israel” and exclude the country from international events. The petition also demands a “complete arms embargo” on Israel.