The opening day of the 81st UN General Assembly general debate highlighted Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation on Tuesday, as a succession of world leaders made the war in Gaza, Israeli policy in the West Bank, and Israeli activity across the region central themes of their speeches.
Among the most prominent critics were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The general debate opened on Tuesday, September 22, as part of the UN leaders’ week in New York.
UN secretary-general: ‘Ethnic cleansing’
The outgoing UN secretary-general was the first to speak and the first to criticize Israel. Antonio Guterres devoted a substantial portion of his address to sharp criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Guterres began by condemning Hamas’s October 7 attack, which he described as an “abhorrent” terrorist attack, but said it was followed by an Israeli offensive in Gaza that led to “a scale of death and destruction I have not seen in all my years as secretary-general.”
He cited the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the case against Israel and called on all sides to comply with international law and the court’s decisions.
At the same time, Guterres criticized Israeli policy in the West Bank, warning that violence, the displacement of Palestinians, and settlement expansion were “crushing the path to peace” and, in his words, raising the “specter of ethnic cleansing.”
He also called for the UN and aid organizations to be allowed to operate in Gaza and for their workers to be protected, warning that continued developments on the ground could effectively lead to the disappearance of the two-state solution.
Erdogan: ‘A genocidal mindset that is never satisfied with killing’
One of the sharpest attacks came, as expected, from the Turkish president.
Erdogan accused Israel of “state terrorism” in Gaza and claimed that the Strip had become “the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time.”
He said the number of people killed in Gaza, including women and children, could no longer be regarded as a collateral consequence of the war.
“We are facing a genocidal mindset that is never satisfied with killing,” he said.
Erdogan broadened his criticism to include the West Bank and Jerusalem. He spoke of “violence and terrorism” by settlers and claimed that Muslims and Christians were being harmed in their access to holy sites.
The Turkish president called on countries that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state to reconsider their position and urged the international community to increase pressure on Israel in order to enable the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and advance the diplomatic process.
The Israeli delegation left the hall during his speech.
King Abdullah: ‘Make a Palestinian state impossible’
Jordan’s King Abdullah II focused on the claim that Israel is systematically changing realities in Gaza and the West Bank.
He accused the Israeli government of prolonging the fighting and placing obstacles in the way of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to advance an agreement.
Abdullah said that for decades the international community had chosen “to manage the conflict, not confront it,” and that Israeli measures initially perceived as temporary had gradually become permanent policy.
In the West Bank, the king pointed to settlement expansion, land seizures, settler violence, and the forcible transfer of Palestinians.
He said reality was being altered in the two arenas in different ways: in Gaza through destruction, and in the West Bank through “de facto annexation.”
The goal, he claimed, was “to make a viable Palestinian state impossible.”
Qatari emir: ‘Genocide in the fullest sense of the word’
Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also used particularly harsh language.
He said what had taken place in Gaza was “genocide in the fullest sense of the word” and “a stain of shame on the conscience of humanity.”
He argued that the test of the international community was its ability to restrain what he described as Israeli aggression, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria.
The emir also criticized calls in Israel to encourage Palestinian emigration from Gaza, which he said were in practice an attempt to impose displacement.
He accused Israel of failing to meet commitments connected to the ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops, and the expansion of aid deliveries, and declared that it was impossible to speak of a just international order “as long as Palestine remains a blind spot within it.”
Israel rejects allegations that it is committing genocide and says its operations are directed against Hamas and are being conducted in accordance with the laws of war.
Macron and Burnham: Criticism also comes from the West
French President Emmanuel Macron adopted a critical line, although one more restrained than that of the region’s leaders.
“What is our credibility worth if we remain inactive in the face of Gaza?” he asked, calling the situation in the Strip “a spectacle that shames us all.”
Macron also criticized increasing settler violence in the West Bank and argued that it was harming Palestinian rights and the prospects of reaching a two-state solution.
The French president sparked anger in Jerusalem after claiming that Hamas was not active in the West Bank.
Later, a French diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post that Macron's comments had been mistranslated: the statement was translated as "Hamas has never been particularly active," but the meaning of the French phrase stated by Macron, "le Hamas n'a jamais sévi en Cisjordanie," is "Hamas has never governed the West Bank."
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham began by condemning the October 7 attack and stressing that Britain stood alongside Israel and Jewish communities in the face of threats from Iran and Hamas.
However, he added: “This does not justify the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza or the West Bank.”
Burnham said London “will not stand by” while Palestinian suffering continues and the chances of a two-state solution are eroded.
He particularly criticized construction plans in the E1 area and defended his government’s decision to impose restrictions on activity connected to settlements.
Lula: ‘The pain and trauma will remain for generations’
Brazilian President Lula da Silva also devoted part of his speech to the Middle East, linking it to broader criticism of the paralysis of UN mechanisms.
Lula said that “generations of Palestinians” would carry the “pain and trauma” left by what he described as the genocide of women and children.
He also criticized settlement expansion in the West Bank and argued that it was making the two-state solution increasingly difficult to achieve.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.