A Chilean civil society initiative is intensifying an international campaign to invoke Article 6 of the UN Charter and seek the expulsion of Israel from the United Nations. As per a Roya News report, organisers argue that Israel has engaged in “continuous and systematic violations” of international law and UN resolutions regarding the occupied Palestinian territory, especially amid the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The campaign is expected to launch officially on Nov. 26 in Santiago, centred on a petition addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. According to available reports, the petition has already surpassed 57,000 signatures, with a target of 100,000.
The organisers highlight the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, characterising Israeli military actions as “compound war crimes” involving mass civilian casualties, the targeting of health infrastructure, and the deliberate creation of conditions of starvation and thirst.
Beyond calling for expulsion, the initiative also demands an immediate global arms embargo on Israel and the suspension of institutional cooperation within international bodies.
The campaign mirrors a series of strong diplomatic signals from the Chilean government under President Gabriel Boric, which has repeatedly voiced grave concern over the conflict.
Chile previously recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations and officially supported South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which alleges breaches of the Genocide Convention. President Boric has also issued statements sharply critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, prompting diplomatic tension.
The Chilean government has consistently urged Israel to halt military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, facilitate humanitarian access, and comply with international and humanitarian law.
The campaign is anchored in Article 6 of the UN Charter, which states: “A Member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Organisation by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.”
Expulsion from the UN is an extraordinarily rare and inherently political move. No member state has ever been removed under Article 6. Previous attempts, including a 1982 proposal to expel Israel and a 1974 effort targeting apartheid-era South Africa, were unsuccessful. Any expulsion requires a Security Council recommendation, which can be blocked by a veto from any of the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK, or the United States.
The Chile-driven initiative underscores mounting public frustration and governmental criticism in parts of the international community over the unresolved decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestine and the catastrophic toll of the current war in Gaza.
