The UN chief warned that the situation was on the “brink” as world leaders gathered at the UNGA on Tuesday to urge Israel to desist from waging a full-scale war in Lebanon.
Nobody has an interest in a full-scale conflict. In his last speech to the international organization, US President Joe Biden stated, “A diplomatic solution is still possible, even though the situation has escalated.”
Biden stated, “In fact, it continues to be the only route to long-term security to enable the citizens of both countries to return to their communities on the border safely.”
Speaking of the situation in the Palestinian territories as a “non-stop nightmare,” Antonio Guterres issued a warning against “the possibility of converting Lebanon (into) another Gaza.” “The escalation should worry us all. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared, “Lebanon is at the brink.”
The UNGA unanimously passed a resolution last week demanding that Israel terminate its unlawful occupation of Palestinian areas within a year, a move that Palestine hailed as “historic.” This week, the group is meeting in New York City.
In addition, Biden told the international organization that it was time to “end this war” and pressed for the illusive peace between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has been accused by Qatar, the mediator, of impeding the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani stated that “there is no Israeli ally for peace” under Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration. But he went on, saying, “We will keep up our attempts at mediation to settle the disputes calmly.”
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, issued a warning, saying, “We are practically in a full-fledged war,” and France demanded an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.
Danny Danon, Israel’s UN envoy, stated that his nation was “not eager” for an actual invasion of Lebanon. He declared, “We don’t want to send our young men into battle in a foreign country.”
Along with hundreds of individuals in Lebanon, Israeli troops massacred at least 41,467 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in less than a year, the majority of whom were civilians.
Richard Gowan, a think tank analyst at the International Crisis Group, predicted that many world leaders would “warn that the UN would grow irrelevant internationally if it cannot contribute to peace.”
