John Moore and Jerry Pubantz’s recent insightful opinion piece on a potential UN solution to the Gaza quandary, is both optimistic and thought-provoking. It also reminded me of a paper on this subject by Rob McLaughlin. I had the privilege of serving in virtually all of the UN’s recent  efforts of transitional authority (UNTA). That does not by any means afford me encompassing analysis, or still-less a crystal ball on whether such an authority would be effective in the case of Gaza. It has (however) given me some treasured insights into what UN officials thought on the ground when they were conducting these UNTA experiments. One needs to distinguish between strategic realism and political sound-bites. UNTAs were a big hope, not only for the UN, but for the international community, more generally.

To start with, I would mention an example we often forget about, namely the UN’s efforts in West Papua. Reviewing what happened there, you may realise why it is optimistic to assume that things would go smoothly for the UN in Gaza. In 1962, the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA) was established to briefly administer West Papua, facilitating the transfer of sovereignty from the Netherlands to Indonesia. The election process was criticized for being manipulated by Indonesia. So, despite the UN's involvement and the incorporation of West Papua into Indonesia, the struggle for self-determination continues. When I first set foot on a “successor example” of UNTEA – namely Eastern Slavonia, I could but remember the mixed contribution these UN authorities had previously made. For various reasons, particularly more “buy in” from regional actors, Eastern Slavonia is still largely regarded more positively.

Before I say a little more about the UN’s subsequent efforts to apply the concept in places as diverse as Namibia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Timor Leste, Somalia and Kosovo, I would suggest that a number of factors are necessary. These are generally about status-determination, and political and strategic “buy in”.  Palestinians have a legacy of misplaced trust in UN ordinances. A UNTA in Gaza would need genuinely to aspire to a two-state solution. Obstacles abound. First, the entire issue of Palestine still remains unresolved (and remains, some might suggest) currently unresolvable. Second, neither the USA or Israel have been exemplary participants in the UN. Thirdly, Gaza’s immediate neighbours – who might assist a UN authority – lack realistic capacity to deliver. Finally, having allowed such tragedy to blight the region for so long, I am not persuaded that the so-called........

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