Middle East and Ukraine conflicts at the UN
World leaders address UN General Assembly, with Middle East and Ukraine conflicts in focus
United Nations: The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to widespread calls for an immediate ceasefire from international leaders, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President Joe Biden, who emphasized the need for humanitarian aid and a two-state solution following the escalation of violence initiated by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Turkish President Erdoğan criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, while Israeli officials condemned anti-Israel rhetoric and highlighted the humanitarian crisis resulting in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths. Jordan’s King Abdullah called for an international humanitarian portal and rejected the idea of Jordan as an alternative homeland for Palestinians, while Qatar’s Emir labeled the situation in Gaza as “genocide.”
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling indicating a “probable” risk of genocide but did not mandate a ceasefire, which Israel dismissed asserting its right to self-defense. Meanwhile, discussions at the UN focused on both the Gaza situation and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urging international support against Russian aggression.
Key Concepts
- International leaders are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need for a two-state solution and the release of hostages.
- President Joe Biden highlighted the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians and advocated for a ceasefire.
- Turkish President Erdoğan criticized Israeli actions and called for a humanitarian coalition, likening the situation to historical atrocities.
- Jordan’s King Abdullah condemned the weaponization of humanitarian aid and rejected the idea of Jordan as an alternative homeland for Palestinians.
- Qatar’s Emir labeled the situation in Gaza as “genocide” and pledged to work towards a permanent ceasefire.
- South Africa has filed a case with the International Court of Justice regarding alleged genocide against Palestinians.
- The ICJ issued a preliminary ruling indicating a “probable” risk of genocide but did not mandate a ceasefire.
- Israeli officials assert their right to self-defense in response to the ICJ ruling.
- Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called for international support against Russian aggression during a UN Security Council meeting.
The war in Gaza and its spillover into Lebanon dominated the opening of the annual debate at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (September 24).
“Gaza is an unending nightmare that threatens to drag the entire region into it,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “Look no further than Lebanon. We should all be wary of an escalation. Lebanon is on the brink. The Lebanese people, the Israeli people, and the people of the world cannot allow Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza, which he has called for since the war broke out after Hamas launched a terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year.
“The international community must mobilize for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the start of an irreversible process to achieve a two-state solution,” Guterres said.
President Joe Biden also spoke about the war in his farewell address to the international community, saying that Israeli and Palestinian families are suffering and the conflict must stop.
“They did not ask for this war, Hamas started it,” Biden said. “I proposed a ceasefire and hostage agreement with Qatar and Egypt. The agreement has been approved by the UN Security Council. Now is the time for all parties to finalize the terms: bring the hostages home, ensure security for Israel and Gaza, get rid of Hamas, ease suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”
Hamas is a US-designated terrorist organization.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an active supporter of Hamas, delivered an emotional and angry speech directed at Israel.
“I want to state here very clearly and loudly that the Israeli government ignores basic human rights, tramples on international law at every opportunity, is carrying out ethnic cleansing, which is a clear genocide against a country, a people, and is occupying their lands step by step,” Erdogan said.
He called on the international community to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Seventy years ago, the humanitarian coalition stopped Hitler, and in the same way, the humanitarian coalition must stop Netanyahu and his murderous network,” the Turkish president said.
Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon accused Erdogan of spreading “pure hatred” against Israel.
“You have terrorists who kidnap citizens into tunnels in Gaza, you have terrorists who fire rockets from Lebanon, and you have Erdogan, who comes to the United Nations every year to spread pure hatred for the State of Israel,” Danon said.
Netanyahu is expected to attend the UN General Assembly despite rising tensions in the Middle East. Danon told reporters he would arrive in New York on Thursday and address the UN General Assembly on Friday morning.
Jordan and Israel signed a peace agreement in 1994, but relations between the two countries have been strained since the Gaza war. Jordan is home to more than 2 million Palestinian refugees, many of whom arrived after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that led to the creation of Israel, and ties between the two communities are strong.
Jordan’s King Abdullah said the conflict, which has left more than 41,000 Palestinians dead, was caused by successive Israeli governments emboldened by years of impunity and rejecting peace over confrontation.
“For decades, Israel has portrayed itself as a thriving Western-style democracy in the Middle East, but the brutality of the Gaza war has forced the world to pay closer attention to this issue,” he said. “Now, many people see Israel through the lens of victims, and this contradiction and paradox is too shocking.”
Abdullah said humanitarian aid must not be used as a weapon of war, and he urged other countries to join Jordan in establishing what he called an international Gaza humanitarian portal to speed up aid to desperate Palestinians. The United Nations says 2.1 million Gazans are in urgent need of food aid.
The Jordanian king also made clear that Jordan would never become an alternative homeland for Palestinians, as some in Israel have suggested for years.
“So let me be very, very clear to you, this will never happen. We will never accept the forced displacement of Palestinians, which is a war crime,” Abdullah said.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has been involved in mediation efforts with the United States and Egypt to end the Gaza war, condemned the situation there as “genocide.” He said his government would continue to work to secure a permanent ceasefire.
In addition to its neighbors, other countries have also criticized Israel. In December, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice, the United Nations’ highest court, seeking an order to stop Israel from committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The ICJ said in a preliminary ruling that the risk of genocide was “probable” but did not order a ceasefire. The court said Israel should take steps to prevent genocide while it further studies the case. Israel rejected the court’s ruling and said it had the right to defend itself.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said they were taking the court case because they themselves had suffered under apartheid.
“We lived through it. We suffered and paid with our lives,” Ramaphosa said. “We will not remain silent and watch others suffer under apartheid.”
“In Gaza and the West Bank, we are witnessing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, and it is now spreading dangerously to Lebanon,” said Tuesday’s first speaker, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “What began as an act of terror by fanatics targeting innocent Israeli civilians has now become a collective punishment of the entire Palestinian people.”
Gaza was the focus of the United Nations General Assembly, while Ukraine was the subject of a high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday afternoon.
“Putin has violated so many international norms and rules, he will not stop on his own, only by forcing Russia to accept peace, that is exactly what has to be done,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the 15-member Security Council. “Forcing Russia to accept peace as the only aggressor in this war and the only violator of the UN Charter.”
He accused Moscow of trying to destroy Ukraine’s energy systems before winter sets in.
“They are preparing to attack our nuclear power plants, three of them. We have the information, we have the evidence,” he said, without elaborating.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged countries to support Ukraine, saying it was fighting for its survival.
“If countries stop supporting Russia, Putin’s aggression will end very quickly,” he said. “If countries stop supporting Ukraine, Ukraine will soon perish.”
On Wednesday, Zelensky will address the UN General Assembly and make his case to the entire international community.
Among the 194 speakers this week are 76 heads of state and 42 prime ministers, only 19 of whom are women. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this was “unacceptable” and called for greater gender equality.
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