Newsman: world leaders condemned Israel and by extension the United States on Tuesday as the U.N. General Assembly held its first major session. Almost all the world leaders Tuesday called for an end to the fight between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as on the increasingly violent Israel-Lebanon front, where the Israelis are battling Hezbollah.
While some also acknowledged Hamas militants launched the war by killing some 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7, the general sense was that Israel has gone too far in its retaliation.
The tough language reflected global frustration over the unwillingness of the parties involved to strike a cease-fire. It also spoke to international despair over the helplessness of institutions such as the United Nations to bring about peace. A number of world leaders sharply condemned Israel and much of the anger was also directed at the United States though the world leaders rarely directly mentioned America.
The rhetoric was especially intense when directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At least one used a Hitler comparison.
“What began as a terrorist action … has become a collective punishment for the entire Palestinian people,” said Brazil President Lula da Silva, the first speaker at the General Assembly. “The right of defense has become a right of vengeance.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared the Israeli leader to Adolf Hitler, even suggesting other countries should unite to stop the Israelis by force if needed. Others, such as Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, called the violence genocide against Palestinians. Terms like war crimes and settler colonialism were thrown around liberally.
“The presidents of the countries of human destruction are laughing in these very corridors,” said Gustavo Petro President of Colombian, aiming his ire at the global 1 percent. “When Gaza dies, humanity will die … The people of God were not the people of Israel, it would seem. It’s not the people of the USA.”
President Petro said, “the end has begun. A year ago I called for a peace conference for Palestine on this very spot, before the first bomb had even gone off. Today we have 20,000 children murdered under the bombs while the presidents of human destruction countries are laughing in these corridors, assisted by the communication power of the global media, which today are owned by big capital, rearrange the world without democracy, without freedom.”
The democratic project of mankind is dying with life, whiles the racists, the supremacists, those who stupidly believe that the Aryans are the superior race, are preparing to dominate the world by writing the terror of bombs on the peoples. The control of humanity on the basis of barbarism is under construction and its demonstration is Gaza, Lebanon. When Gaza dies, all humanity will die he said.
“It turns out that God’s people were not the people of Israel, not the people of the United States of America, but God’s people are all of humanity and the children of Gaza, those were humanity, God’s chosen people. They are killing God’s chosen people, the children of humanity” Petro said.
There is a reason for this Armageddon of the contemporary world. There is logic to the senselessness of governments that applaud genocide and do not take quick action to shift economies towards decarbonization. The logic is not in the political world or at this lectern where all the presidents speak. The logic is outside, and it is called social inequality, Colombia’s President added.
The US President Joe Biden called for a two-state solution, highlighting a U.S.-backed proposal for a cease-fire and hostage exchange. He called on all parties to finalize the terms, “ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” he said to applause from the General Assembly floor.
President Biden argued that averting a regional war in the Middle East is still possible, even as Israeli rockets continued to streak the sky over Lebanon. The Iran-backed Hezbollah militia has also retched up its attack.
“Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” Biden said, urging the two sides to cease hostilities. “Diplomatic solution is still possible. It’s the only path.”
The president also urged that “now was the time” to finally achieve a cease-fire deal and took each side to task for delays. While he underscored Israel’s right to defend itself after the Oct. 7 terror attacks, he said that Palestinian lives “must be protected.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II sharply highlighted how Israel has attacked U.N. shelters and schools in Gaza, while U.N. aid trucks have been unable to reach starving Palestinians.
“The unprecedented scale of terror unleashed on Gaza since [Oct. 7] is beyond any justification,” he said. “We will never accept the forced displacement of Palestinians, which is a war crime.”
Israel is no stranger to criticism at the United Nations. Its representatives have spent much of the past year attacking the institution as Israel and the U.S. appear increasingly isolated on the world stage.
T“Many people came to the United Nations hoping that the backdrop would be one of attempts to de-escalate,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told reporters Tuesday. “Instead, we’re seeing, on an enormous, hourly basis, an escalation of the conflict.”
The majority of member states is clearly frustrated with the increasing violence in the region, especially as it has spread to Lebanon and threatens to lead to an all-out war. The frustration even came from some nations that usually avoid the topic, including Latin American and African states. Arab and Middle Eastern leaders have been critical of Israel among Tuesday’s speakers.
“It will not be the last one,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, told reporters Tuesday, when asked. Describing Israel as “a peaceful nation,” he said the country would prefer a diplomatic solution.
If Donald Trump returns to power in November election, he has suggested he would embolden Netanyahu to finish the war while also cutting aid to Ukraine and potentially abandoning NATO.
