New York, World leaders on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly called for Israel to desist from precipitating the conflict with Lebanon into a full-scale war. The meeting comes amid reports that Lebanese authorities claim Israeli airstrikes have claimed 558 lives, half of whom are children, amid rising violence.
The high-stakes session started with the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the situation in Lebanon is “on the brink” and he called for immediate de-escalation. “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” Guterres said, underlining a call for a diplomatic solution.
Biden Calls for Diplomacy in Escalating Lebanon Crisis
US President Joe Biden appealed to the world for restraint in his final address to the UN, saying that diplomacy remains the “only path to lasting security.” In his farewell speech, Biden said a peaceful solution must be found to avoid further bloodshed along Israel’s border with Lebanon. His appeal came ahead of an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon scheduled for Wednesday.However, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib has slammed Biden’s comments saying that he was not very promising and was not going to help ease the crisis in Lebanon. He even pointed out that the displaced people in Lebanon may have reached half a million due to the strikes caused by Israel.
Israel Bites Its Lip Over Invasion
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Israel isn’t eager for a ground invasion of Lebanon, but he stood up for his country’s military operations. “We don’t want to send our boys to fight in a foreign country,” Danon said, reiterating his country’s right to defend itself while maintaining that a broader conflict should be avoided.
Efforts for Gaza Ceasefire Continue Amid Global Frustration
An agreement to cease hostilities between the Israelis and Hamas in Gaza has not materialized, and in fact, violence has not ceased. President Biden of the United States once again pleaded for an end to the hostilities in Gaza, calling it “time to end this war,” said the UN.Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani even threw jibes at the Netanyahu government as a mediator, stating that “there is no Israeli partner for peace.” He agreed, though, to continue the mediation efforts.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday strongly attacked Israel for dragging the region “to the ground, into war.” He described an international community’s silence over happenings in Gaza as while saying the United Nations system is “dying” there.
Warnings of Lebanon Becoming ‘Another Gaza
Guterres warned of the danger of Lebanon turning into “another Gaza,” referring to the devastation in this Palestinian territory, where consistent airstrikes since October 2023 had already resulted in the killing of over 41,000 people. European Council President Charles Michel added that while Israel has the right to defend itself, “the collective punishment of civilians is unacceptable.”.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke out against the “incomprehensible inaction” of the UN against Israel, since his country supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. He expressed sympathy with the Palestinian resistance and severely criticised the international community for not taking decisive action.
Deep Divisions at the UN
The General Assembly debate laid bare the stark divisions within the United Nations as nations were divided on how to approach the growing conflict in the Middle East. Israeli Ambassador Danon criticized the discussion as an “annual charade of hypocrisy,” pointing to the fact that it emphasizes the situation of people in Gaza more than anything else while it remains mute about Israeli hostages.As fighting continues to spread across several fronts, all hope now seems lost in terms of a UN-brokered cease-fire. Violence broke out when, on 7 October 2023, Hamas launched its lethal attack on Israel, killing 1,205 people and leading to Israel’s military assault in Gaza.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II To Protest Forced Displacement
On Tuesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said his country would not make room for evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. “Any forced transfer of the Palestinians constitutes a ‘war crime,'” he said in his speech and would be against the movement of refugees across Jordan’s borders.
Global Call for Diplomacy Amid Uncertainty
With conditions worsening in Lebanon and Gaza, global leaders are challenged as much to achieve peace as they are to urge diplomacy. And with the UN readied for further discussions, what it is now feared might become an uncontrollable escalation hangs heavy over the shadow of a larger regional conflagration.
