PICTURE: UN NEWS
By Mumtaz Hussain
NEW YORK: At the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Secretary General Antonio Guterres drew the attention of the world towards the atrocities perpetrated by Israel on the people of Gaza.
The UNGA session started when the world has failed to stop the Gaza war started by Israel after Hamas attacks on its territory more than 11 months ago.
The UN chief in his address said Gaza had become nightmare and a threat to the entire Middle East.
“We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
He was of the view that acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7 last year and taking of hostages by it were condemnable. However, he added that nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Mr Guterres added that the killings and destruction in Gaza were unlike anything in his tenure as the secretary general. He said over 200 of the UN staff had also been killed, many with their families in Gaza.
The UN chief said that the international community should join hands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza along with the unconditional release of all hostages. There is also a need to work towards starting an irreversible process for the establishment of two-state solution to the entire Palestinian issue, he added.
Despite the atrocities on the people of Gaza by Israel, US President Joe Biden at the start of his speech defended the Israeli war in Gaza that has been ongoing since October 2023 and in which over 41,000 people have been killed.
“Any country, any country, would have the right responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again,” Biden referred to the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2024.
He added, “They [families of the Israeli hostages] are going through hell. Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell. Thousands and thousands killed, including aid workers. Too many families dislocated, crowded in a tent, facing a dire situation. They didn’t ask for this war.”
However, the US president vowed to prevent the war escalating to the entire region, calling Israel and Hamas to agree on a ceasefire deal brokered by the US in May.
Speaking on the occasion, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the international community and we all should fulfill our responsibility and obligation towards the people of Palestine. He said it was heartening to see that our brothers from Palestine are in attendance in the UNGA session today.
He criticized the UN’s system and the Western world saying their values were dying in Gaza. He also called for an alliance of humanity to stop Israel from its atrocities in Gaza. The Turkish president said freedom, independence and most basic rights of the people of Palestinian had been usurped and they were exercising their legitimate rights of resistance against occupation of their land and their ethnic cleansing.
He demanded a permanent and immediate ceasefire. “Hostages and prisoners must be exchanged, and humanitarian aid must be delivered to Gaza unhindered and uninterrupted.”
President Erdogan said recently some images were leaked from Israeli prisons showing maltreatment of Palestinians. The inhuman treatment of the Palestinian prisoners showed barbarianism the people were facing. He said that today Israel has made Gaza the world’s largest graveyard for women and children.
Comments are closed.