#imunc

By Diyanah

The deadly BITA virus which has to date infected more than 40 000 Israelis has begun to show its contagious effects on top-echelon government officials. A few members of the Israeli Cabinet were escorted by health officials into a monitored quarantine area shortly before noon today after they began to show warning flu-like symptoms of the virus.

The disruption escalated at about 1.15 p.m. EST after health officials walked into the cabinet meeting room and promptly ordered the cabinet to put on masks and cease all talk amongst themselves for 15 minutes. An unnamed health official stated that this was due to the airborne nature of the virus. More political leaders were transferred to the quarantine area after.

The unexpected intrusion temporarily halted heated discussion regarding a possible ceasefire to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Earlier, the ongoing war had resulted in oil pipe explosions, causing the Israeli cabinet to scramble for alternative oil solutions. "It's a bad day for Israel," said the Israeli cabinet secretary. Reparations were underway even as Palestinian tanks were spotted along the Israeli borders.

Naftali Bennett had earlier reminded the council that tapping into the nation's oil potential was inextricably linked to Israel's military capability against Palestine. The JCC1 deputy chair called it a "time of unparalleled animosity" between both cabinets. 

However, after the crisis struck, tension in the room was only further heightened as it was revealed that US Defence Department had deployed the USS Roosevelt fleet to station at the Port of Haifa and issued a DEFCON 2 order to its troops. A DEFCON 2 order describes that the US Armed Forces are ready to be deployed and ready in less than 6 hours for a possible nuclear war.

The Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon stated however that Israel was “unwilling and unlikely” to use nuclear weapons to end the conflict. He alluded to the “Mutually Assured Destruction” Cold War term, which guarantees complete annihilation from both sides should a full-scale nuclear war erupt, as a reason why the Israeli government is keen to seek for a peaceful resolution instead.

Rumours that a cure which could remove the virus from an infected person but not prevent the virus from spreading floated around the cabinet; but as of press time, no official cure was revealed to the press.

Palestine has declared that it is willing to agree for a ceasefire only if Israel is willing to push its borders east, back to the pre-1967 borders before the Six Day War. This means that Israel has to give up West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula which it is unwilling to.

By Alaric

            Following additional news of small clashes erupting in the West Bank and the possible involvement of Iran in the death of DPM Peres, the ECOSOC convened to discuss the impending worldwide oil shortage. Within minutes of initiating debate on the issue, several delegates voiced their suggestions, with the DPRK proposing that the council devote its efforts towards controlling speculative trading in order to regulate oil prices while encouraging nations with oil but not the means to tap into it to seek aid from other member nations. This call was supported by the delegate of Mauritius, who further advocated development of alternative sources of renewable energy as well as a possible carbon tax to control the usage of oil and the rate of depletion of oil reserves.

            Similarly, the delegates of Denmark and Togo suggested immediately initiating talks with the affected nations in order to maintain exports of oil from OPEC. The delegates of Iraq and Iran, however, warned that attempts at interfering with the current situation in the Middle East could have dire consequences, with Iran threatening to cease exports of oil in a show of support for Palestine. This threat was met with severe condemnation from many members of the council, with Denmark, Mauritius and Paraguay accusing them of being counterproductive to efforts at peace and resolving the crises. Belgium and the United Kingdom similarly called for members not to place any blame upon specific nations, and appealed for nations to act in mediatory roles while finding a cure for the virus.  

            In a relatively tumultuous turn of events, the council appeared agreed on the need to resolve the oil crisis, but conflicted over the perceived political divisions. Despite calls for member nations such as Ukraine for other nations to not “point fingers at each other”, key players such as the United States chose to remind the council of Iran’s earlier threat, warning that they would not stand for any form of provocation from any OPEC nation whatsoever. Similarly, Iraq continued to draw attention to itself and its “bloc of nations” contributing a sizable portion of the world’s oil supply, subtly warning member nations that it would be preferred not to antagonize them. In a more mediatory stance, Japan and the United Kingdom, among other nations, urged members to consider pooling their oil reserves as a means of weathering the crisis at hand.

By Natalie Teng

The third and last day of the IMUN conference focused mainly on the crisis issue introduced. Israeli DPM Peres was found dead from an unnatural cause, and Palestine was accused of being the perpetrator of the deadly virus that killed the politician. This sparked extreme anger and caused violent riots, resulting in the deaths of 50 Israeli millitants with the total death toll rising to more than 400. 

By Cheang Kit Lea

The delegates of the Human Rights Council (HRC) convened on Day 3 of the International Model United Nations Conference to continue their discussions on the topic of internet freedom. The provocative question of the right of an individual to Internet freedom was intensely debated. Delegates weighed the importance of upholding this right with the imperative of governments in ensuring national security through Internet regulations.

The resolution introduced by China yesterday was debated, and those who supported the resolution stood for prizing national security over personal privilege. Many delegates criticized the resolution’s overt focus on censorship. The delegate of Iraq pointed out that because of individual freedom on cyberspace, “everything is proliferated at an exponential rate.” Especially in nations where the political climate is turbulent and volatile, the Internet can be manipulated as a dangerous tool to perpetuate radical sentiments and ideology. Iraq urged the council to consider what she perceived to be the cornerstone of all nations: religion. Either way, the council agreed upon the need to ensure Internet safety, and to ensure relative degrees of online safety nets.

The delegate of Paraguay introduced a second resolution in response to the question of Internet freedom. Highlights of her resolution included the quirkily named Committee UNDRESS, strict punishments to radical or hate-based online comments directed along racial and religious lines, and the formation of a trust fund that ensures monetary support. An amendment was proposed, incorporating cyber wellness teachings into national education of More-Economically Developed Nations (MEDCs), and providing avenues for victims to seek help and escape from cyber bullying.

By Nikhil Dutt Sundaraj

Today, at the World Bank, delegates from 30 countries came together to resume discussions from the last two days. A 5-minute moderated caucus was first called for the discussion on certain clauses in Millennium Development Goals 4 (Reduce Child Mortality Rates) & 5 (Improve Maternal Health).

The delegate of the Republic of Korea, who was arguably the most active delegate during the debates over the past two days, initiated the dialogue. The main issue in this case was clause 37, which pertained to the use of Traditional Medicine (TM) as a legitimate endorsed form of medicine.

Delegates of Korea, USA, Chile and Laos and Kenya were the main advocates for the usage of traditional medicine. There were some voices against its usage, citing the tried and tested methods of Western medicine as a safer form of medication. Debates proceeded for about an hour on this issue until it was finally put to a vote. A majority voted for the implementation of this clause.

Delegates were shortly called to a mass briefing, which quickly turned into an IMUNC crisis situation. A group of eight insurgents broke in, armed with assault rifles and pistols. A video presentation informed delegates that Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Asher Peres had been found dead in his residence in Jerusalem. DPM Peres was in Jerusalem to attend the first of a series of peace negotiations with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority. Biological warfare and suicide bombing was brought into play, involving riots between Palestinian insurgents and Israeli forces.

In light of this significant new development, new debates had to begin, and new courses of action had to be taken. The main topic up for discussion for the World Bank was the matter of regional trade (especially oil trade), seeing as countries had closed off their ports. Most called for mediation, but the USA, being a vehement supporter of Israel, condemned the alleged assassination of Peres by Palestine/Iran but affirmed that neutrality was temporarily necessary, as conflict would raise oil prices. Delegates also recognized the urgent need for R&D funding to quell the threat posed by the rapidly-mutating virus, easing fears among oil exporting nations and decreasing stock market speculation.

The USA, in response to the crisis, raised its DEFCON level to 2.  An Israelite representative clarified that Israel wanted to maintain good international relations, but would take control of all oil fields between Israel and the West Bank. They urgently requested assistance and sent out a plea to Egypt. The USA immediately pledged its assistance and allegiance to Israel, but Egypt, on the other hand, chose a more neutral stance, refraining from rendering special assistance.

After further debate and prolonged discussion, insurgents, frustrated at the lack of action on this front, abducted the chair of the council. Finally, the delegate of Korea put forth a resolution that, after voting and extended discussion, was passed.

*Mutually Assured Destruction

By Alaric

In the recent debates in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it appears that the delegate of Ukraine’s claims that “We are here to deal with an economic and social” rather than a political issue seems sadly mistaken. With the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict escalating violently following the death of the Israeli DPM Peres, efforts to counter the threat posed to the world’s oil supply from the Middle East region seem to have met a roadblock in the form of political infighting within the council.

Admirably, several nations, both small and big players alike, have voiced their concerns for the impending oil shortage and proposed viable solutions. Russia, Guatemala and the United Kingdom, for example, have spoken of pooling oil reserves of member nations in an act of mutual cooperation, while others such as Kenya have spoken of the need for measures to curb the likely speculative trading in oil in the wake of the turmoil in the Middle East.

However, others appear unable to circumvent the political nuances of the crisis and focus on the pragmatic concerns at hand. Iran and Iraq have understandably voiced their support for Palestine, but through the relatively undiplomatic manner of threatening the entire council with an embargo of oil exports. This, despite other delegates highlighting the fact that Iran and Iraq are comparably small components among the OPEC nations, appears frightfully counterproductive towards peace efforts.

Yet, an example of the correct attitude has not been upheld by the major parties in the council either. The delegate of The United States, in a shocking example, chose not to mince his words in warning the entirety of OPEC, not just Iran and Iraq, that any form of provocation whatsoever would face retaliation from the USA as well as the other P5 nations. Japan, seemingly a level-headed participant calling for cooperation between all parties, somehow found ways to insult Iran and Iraq in his speech.