António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, on Tuesday denounced the devastation in Gaza and warned that Israel's expanding settlements and the displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were creating the conditions for what he called the “spectre of ethnic cleansing”.
Opening the high-level session of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Guterres said the violence that followed the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, had brought an unprecedented toll in Gaza, describing the Israeli military campaign as an assault marked by a scale of death and destruction he had not seen during his tenure as secretary-general.
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His remarks came during what is expected to be his final address to the General Assembly as secretary-general.
The UN has said the general debate of the 81st session runs from September 22 to September 28.
Turning to the occupied West Bank, Guterres said violence, displacement and settlement expansion were “bulldozing the path to peace and raising the spectre of ethnic cleansing”.
He also warned against allowing the two-state solution to disappear, reiterating his longstanding position that a political settlement remains central to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Guterres had also raised concerns about what he described as “creeping annexation” in the West Bank during a September 16 press conference ahead of the General Assembly.
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He called for the Gaza peace plan to be fully implemented and humanitarian assistance to be allowed to reach civilians without obstruction.
The UN chief's latest comments come as world leaders gather in New York amid continuing international diplomatic efforts over the Gaza conflict and the broader Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
His warning over settlement expansion and displacement echoes concerns he has raised repeatedly over the erosion of prospects for a negotiated two-state solution.
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