US President, Donald Trump, is expected to later today address the UN General Assembly in New York, where world leaders have gathered for the 80th anniversary of the UN.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump in his speech would tout “the renewal of American strength around the world” and his efforts to help end several wars.
“The President will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world.”
Karoline Leavitt
The US President’s speech is typically among the most anticipated moments of the annual assembly. This one comes at one of the most volatile moments in the world body’s 80-year-old history.
Global leaders are being tested by wars in Gaza,Ukraine and Sudan, uncertainty about the economic and social impact of emerging artificial intelligence technology, and anxiety about Trump’s antipathy for the global body.
Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly later today comes after key western allies, including the UK, France, Canada, Australia and Portugal, all defied Washington to recognise a Palestinian state.
Yesterday, Monaco, Belgium, Andorra, Malta and Luxembourg all recognised Palestine, bringing the total number of recognitions to three-quarters of UN membership. The state of Palestine is now recognised by just over 150 of the 193 member states of the UN.
Israel has warned that it might respond to the recognition of Palestine by annexing the West Bank, with the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying recognition gives “a huge reward to terrorism”, adding, without elaboration, that a Palestinian state simply “will not happen.”
White House Spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt was quoted as telling reporters that Trump views the Palestinian statehood recognition moves as a “reward to Hamas”, the Palestinian militant group which the led the attack on southern Israel in October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
“He (Trump) feels this does not do anything to release the hostages, which is the primary goal right now in Gaza, does nothing to end this conflict and bring this war to a close.
“Frankly he believes it’s a reward to Hamas. So he believes these decisions are just more talk and not enough action from some of our friends and allies.”
Karoline Leavitt
Trump To Hold Meetings After UNGA Address
After his speech, Trump will hold one-on-one meetings with UN Secretary General, António Guterres and the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina and the EU.
He will also hold a group meeting with officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
During this meeting, Trump is expected to discuss a range of topics, including principles around what postwar governance in Gaza could look like, without Hamas involvement.
Any hope of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was shattered when Israel carried out an airstrike on a Hamas negotiating team in Qatar at the start of the month, which caused a huge diplomatic fallout and made the prospect of an end to the war seem even more distant than before.
The diplomatic scramble playing out in New York today comes as Israel continues its assault on Gaza City, the biggest urban centre in the territory that Israel claims to be the last bastion of Hamas.
There are reports that Israeli tanks have advanced into the city centre from the north and south as deadly Israeli air attacks intensify and ground forces advance.
Despite international opposition, Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza City last week as the military expanded its assault on the city after weeks of intense bombardments.
A famine – caused by Israeli restrictions on aid – was declared in the city and its surrounding area last month.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled southwards after being ordered by the IDF to do so, but hundreds of thousands, many of whom are too frail to move, remain despite the risks as there is effectively nowhere safe to move to in the Strip.
The US President will return to Washington after hosting a reception tonight with more than 100 invited world leaders.
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