The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly opened with a strong condemnation of Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Israeli settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank were "bulldozing the path to peace and raising the spectre of ethnic cleansing." Guterres referenced South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, noting that the ICJ has issued legally binding provisional measures.
Jordan's King Abdullah II echoed Guterres' concerns, stating that decades of managing the conflict had allowed abuses to become policy. He accused Israel of confining Palestinians to less than a third of the Gaza strip and killing at least 300 Palestinian children in the first 300 days of the fragile Gaza ceasefire. The king described forced displacement as a war crime.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva framed Israel's conduct as a generational wound inflicted on an entire people. He defended the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, and warned that Israeli settlement expansion was making a two-state solution "increasingly unviable." Lula also condemned Hamas's terrorist acts but emphasized the need for accountability.
French President Emmanuel Macron turned his criticism to the international community's inertia, stating that the situation in the West Bank was a "spectacle that shames us all." He pointed out that Hamas had little presence in the West Bank, where day after day, violations were occurring. Macron emphasized the need to protect the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's address produced a theatrical rupture, with Israeli delegates walking out of the chamber. Erdoğan characterized the situation in Gaza as systematic "state terror" and described the territory as a "concentration camp." He criticized Washington's refusal to grant Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend in person.
The international community's response to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank was not limited to criticism of Israel. A sideline meeting on Palestinian statehood was chaired by Macron, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. This show of Western and Gulf alignment would have been unthinkable at the UN even two years ago.
The UN General Assembly's opening day set the tone for a contentious and emotionally charged debate. The criticism of Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank was not limited to one or two leaders but was a common theme among many speakers. The Assembly's discussions will continue, but the opening day has already highlighted the deep divisions and strong emotions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Key points
- The UN General Assembly opened with widespread criticism of Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the risk of "ethnic cleansing" in the West Bank.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's address was marked by a walkout by Israeli delegates.
