Escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to overshadow US President Joe Biden’s farewell appearance at the UN’s marquee annual gathering on Tuesday, as diplomats worked to prevent a regional conflict.
The meeting of dozens of world leaders, the pinnacle of the diplomatic calendar, comes a day after Israeli air strikes in Lebanon killed more than 490 people, according to local authorities.
As world leaders gathered in Manhattan on Monday for the annual flurry of speeches and face-to-face diplomacy, France, a UN Security Council member, called for an emergency meeting to address the Middle East issue.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman said he was “gravely alarmed” as focus turned from Gaza to Lebanon, while the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell warned “we are almost in a full-fledged war .”
Israel’s closest ally, the United States, has again warned against a full-fledged ground invasion of Lebanon, with a senior US official offering to submit “concrete” recommendations for de-escalation to the UN this week.
It is unclear what steps can be taken to ameliorate the situation in Lebanon, as efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza, which Israel has continuously bombarded since October 2023, have failed.
“Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan will be the dominant issues,” said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group think tank. He also predicted that many leaders would “warn that the UN will become irrelevant globally if it cannot help make peace.” More than 100 heads of state and government are slated to speak during the UN’s showpiece event, which will last until Monday.
There have been a plethora of crises worldwide since the previous year’s annual conference, which was dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the civil war in Sudan. Prior to the meeting, Guterres issued a warning: “International challenges are moving faster than our ability to solve them.”
Deep divisions exist within the international community as a result of the unrest in the Middle East following the October 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. There may be explosive moments this week when Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address the General Assembly.
After over a year of fighting, officials from Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, Iran, and Algeria are scheduled to speak on Tuesday and advocate for a truce in Gaza. President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss Russia’s attack on Ukraine during a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, and Ukraine will also be on the agenda.
“I invite all leaders and nations to continue supporting our joint efforts for a just and peaceful future,” Zelensky told the UN on Monday.
“Putin has stolen much already, but he will never steal the world’s future.”
It is unclear if the grand diplomatic gathering can achieve anything for the millions mired in conflict and poverty globally.
“Any real diplomacy to reduce tensions will take place behind the scenes,” Gowan said.
“This may be an opportunity for Western and Arab diplomats to have some quiet conversations with the Iranians about the need to stop the regional situation spinning out of control.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has asked for an urgent gathering of Arab leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss the crisis in Lebanon. Guterres warned about “the possibility of transforming Lebanon (into) another Gaza.”
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
