Here in New York, world leaders gathered for the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday condemned Israel’s assaults on Palestine and Lebanon. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and said the failure of nations to stop the violence showed the United Nations system and Western values are “dying.” Chilean President Gabriel Boric also condemned Israel’s actions.
President Gabriel Boric: “I refuse to choose between Hamas’s terrorism or the massacre and genocidal behavior of Netanyahu’s Israel. We do not have to choose between barbarities. I choose humanity. We denounce the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and the de facto denial of the existence of an independent Palestinian state by the occupying country.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres accused Israel of violating the United Nations Charter and said too many governments were turning a blind eye to international human rights conventions and the decisions of international courts. Meanwhile, Joe Biden delivered his last speech to the United Nations as U.S. president, calling for a diplomatic solution to end Israel’s war on Gaza — even as his administration continues to provide weapons and billions of dollars in aid to Israel’s military.
President Joe Biden: “We’re also working to bring a greater measure of peace and stability in the Middle East. The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7th. Any country, any country would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again.”