“A genocide” —these were the words of Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. “A war crime committed by extremists pushing our region to the brink of all-out war,” said Jordan’s King Abdullah II. “Along with the children of Gaza, the hopes for a fairer world are dying”, declared Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Finally, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation in Gaza as a “non-stop nightmare” and criticised the “growing impunity” displayed by the world. These powerful statements from the opening speeches of the United Nations General Assembly highlight the strength and clarity of global opinion on Israel’s actions and the West’s role in enabling its impunity. There is near-unanimous support for an immediate ceasefire, and an overwhelming majority calls for investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity involving the state of Israel and its leaders
On the other side, we witnessed the usual stance from Israel in the General Assembly, aggressively claiming that the UN, and by extension the world, is misguided, hypocritical, and wrongfully accusing Israel of crimes. Meanwhile, the United States continues to assert that it is doing all it can to solve the problem, urging global unity, even as it sends billions of dollars in weapons to the Middle East, fueling the conflict. U.S. forces coordinate with Israeli counterparts in operations that often target civilians, perpetuating the violence. This stark contrast—overwhelming condemnation from one side and complete denial from the other—reflects the current state of the United Nations.
The inability of the UN to take decisive action is widely blamed on the veto power held by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a point raised by many delegates from around the world. If this situation persists, questions about the UN’s effectiveness and its very purpose will only grow louder. If such blatant violations of international law cannot be addressed, one must ask: what is the point of an international order at all?
