NEW YORK: Egypt’s foreign minister delivered a forceful critique of Israel during his address to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, accusing it of genocide in Gaza and denouncing what he described as the erosion of the international system.
“Eighty years after its creation, the UN bears little resemblance to its founding ideals,” said Badr Abdelatty. “The multilateral system is being eroded, crimes are committed in full view of the world, and the international community is a mere spectator.”
He condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as part of a “wanton and unjust war” driven by “an extremist Israeli ideology that seeks only destruction, killing and systematic starvation.”
Abdelatty said Palestinians are victims of “the most heinous Israeli practices, and a brutal and unjust war against unarmed civilians for no crime they committed.”
He pointed to Israel’s strikes targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar, as well as incursions into Syria and Lebanon, as evidence of Israeli aggression destabilizing not only Palestine but the wider region.
“The Middle East stands on the brink of explosion as all the elements of peace, security and stability are absent, with no respect for international legitimacy,” he said.
“The continued Israeli occupation, the genocide transpiring today in the Gaza Strip, depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, most notably the right to establish its independent state — this hollows out any narrative of peace and security in the region.
“Israel can’t be secure when others aren’t secure. The region can’t see stability without an independent State of Palestine.”
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s pledge not to tolerate the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
