n a dramatic turn of events, Craig Mokhiber, the Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has tendered his resignation, voicing strong criticisms of the UN's handling of the Gaza situation. In his public resignation letter dated October 28th, Mokhiber condemned the ongoing conflict in stark terms, describing it as a “textbook case of genocide.”

Mokhiber's letter, addressed to Volker Türk, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized the dire situation in Palestine. He wrote, “The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, aiming for the swift eradication of the enduring fragments of indigenous Palestinian existence in the region.”

Moreover, he pointed a finger at Western governments, accusing them of being complicit in the turmoil. “These governments are not just failing to uphold their treaty commitments under the Geneva Convention,” he argued, “but they are also actively fuelling the conflict by supplying arms, offering economic and intelligence backing, and providing political and diplomatic support for Israel's actions.”

This isn't the first time Mokhiber has publicly aired his grievances. Prior to his resignation, he took to X/Twitter, expressing his concerns: “The genocide we are witnessing in Palestine is born from decades of Israeli immunity granted by the US & other western nations, and from the persistent dehumanization of Palestinians by the Western corporate media.”

He passionately concluded his post with a call to action: “Both must end now. Speak up for human rights.”

The backdrop of this resignation is the mounting death toll in Gaza. Following an unexpected attack by Hamas on Israel that resulted in 1,400 deaths, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that fatalities in the area have surpassed 8,000.

Mokhiber's decision to step down from his role also arrives at a time when there are increasing reports of both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in the U.S. and globally.

The international community awaits the UN's response to this bold move and the consequent ramifications on its stance towards the Israel-Gaza conflict.