United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters. AFP
“They are the results of decisions that defy basic humanity." said Guterres
"The scale of death and destruction are beyond any other conflict in my years as Secretary General,” Guterres added, pointing to the humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded despite international legal rulings.
“The International Court of Justice has issued legally binding provisional measures,” he stressed.
“Since then, a famine has been declared, and the killing has intensified. The measures stipulated by the ICJ must be implemented fully and immediately.”
“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the systematic destruction of Gaza,” he said, while warning that “the looming threat of annexation must stop.”
Guterres painted a grim picture of a world sliding into lawlessness, with Gaza as the epicenter. “This is the paradox of our time: we know what we need—yet we are pulling away the very lifeline that makes it possible,” he said.
“Far too many crises continue unchecked. Impunity prevails. Lawlessness is a contagion. It invites mayhem, accelerates terror, and risks a nuclear free-for-all.”
He said the “pillars of peace” were “buckling under the weight of impunity, inequality, and indifference,” adding that today’s crises are linked by a common disregard for international law and human dignity.
“Sovereign nations, invaded. Hunger, weaponized. Truth, silenced. Rising smoke from bombed-out cities. Rising anger in fractured societies. Rising seas swallowing coastlines.”
Guterres’ remarks set the tone for what is expected to be a heated General Assembly session, where the Gaza war and the long-stalled two-state solution are at the top of the agenda after the conclusion of a high-level international conference on implementing the two-state on Monday.
The conference, which was co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia and brought together a wide range of world leaders, called for a permanent ceasefire, the release of Israeli captives, an exchange of Palestinian prisoners, unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip.
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