World Leaders Condemn Israel at UN General Assembly

Numerous world leaders used the United Nations General Assembly platform to launch sharp criticisms against Israel's policies. Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose country has a peace treaty with Israel, accused the Jewish state of an "expansionist appetite" and labeled it a "regional threat." He also condemned the forced displacement of Gazans as a war crime and stated that Israel's actions were aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the Gaza Strip as the "biggest graveyard for children in the world" and an "inhumane and shameful concentration camp," calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state. The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who has previously mediated for Israel, characterized the events in Gaza as "genocide in every sense of the word," calling it a "stain of shame on the conscience of humanity."

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, while acknowledging the October 7th attacks and reaffirming support for Israel against Iran, also criticized Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank. He argued that the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the expansion of settlements, particularly in the E1 area, were hindering the prospects for a two-state solution and justified his government's restrictions on settlement-related business deals.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefly mentioned the October 7th attacks but primarily focused on the subsequent "assault on Palestinians in Gaza," describing the scale of killing and destruction as unprecedented during his tenure. The article notes that the Israeli delegation walked out during Erdogan's speech.