UN Secretary-General António Guterres sharply criticized Israel during the opening day of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, warning of what he described as unprecedented killing and destruction in Gaza and a risk of “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank. The General Assembly’s 81st general debate began Tuesday at UN headquarters.
“We must not lose sight of the devastating situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Guterres said. Nearly three years after what he called Hamas’ “abhorrent” Oct. 7 terror attack, he said, Palestinians in Gaza had endured a scale of killing and destruction he had not witnessed during his years as secretary-general.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
(Photo: AP/Angelina Katsanis)
Guterres also turned to the West Bank, saying violence, displacement and expanding Israeli settlements were eroding prospects for peace and raising concerns about ethnic cleansing.
“We cannot allow the two-state solution to disappear before our eyes,” he said.
The warning echoed comments Guterres made ahead of this year’s General Assembly, when he called for an end to what he described as the “creeping annexation” of the West Bank and said actions that could lead to ethnic cleansing must stop.
Addressing the broader fighting across the Middle East, Guterres said the wars must end and argued that ceasefires in the region had too often amounted to little more than periods of reduced fire while civilians continued to pay the price.
“Enough is enough,” he said.
Guterres also referred to proceedings at the International Court of Justice, noting that the court has issued legally binding provisional measures in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza. The ICJ has not ruled on whether Israel committed genocide; its provisional measures were issued while the case remains pending.
He said all parties must comply with international law and with the court’s orders, and argued that the United Nations and humanitarian organizations must be allowed to carry out their work in Gaza.
Guterres has repeatedly adopted a highly critical position toward Israel’s conduct of the war. In remarks ahead of the General Assembly, he said the suffering in Gaza was “horrendous,” while stressing that determining whether genocide has occurred is a legal question outside his authority. He cited large-scale destruction, civilian deaths, shortages of medical care and continued displacement.
At the same time, Guterres has repeatedly condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack and the taking of hostages, while arguing that those crimes do not justify collective punishment of Palestinians. In previous UN remarks, he has called for the immediate release of all hostages, humanitarian access to Gaza and renewed efforts toward a two-state solution.