Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Analysis

Palestine and Lebanon’s leaders address UNGA ahead of Netanyahu’s arrival

A representation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Pro-Palestinian protesters rally against Israel's strikes in Gaza and Lebanon during demonstrations in New York City, on Sept. 26, 2024.

A representation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Pro-Palestinian protesters rally against Israel's strikes in Gaza and Lebanon during demonstrations in New York City, on Sept. 26, 2024.

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Make us preferred on Google
UNITED NATIONS – When Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority leader, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, he began, “We will not leave. Palestine is our homeland. If anyone were to leave, it would be the occupier.” He called on the international community to stop sending weapons to Israel — which he accused of “launching wars of genocide” in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon — and instead implement sanctions.

Abbas then laid out a 12-point policy for what is needed “immediately and on day one after the war ends.” The plan included a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, an end to the “military aggression by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” humanitarian aid, and the return of displaced peoples. He called for Palestine to be given full membership to the UN, and disparaged the US for being “the only member in the Security Council that voted against granting the state of Palestine full membership.”

Later that evening, Lebanon’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bouhabib called on Israel to adopt an immediate cease-fire and halt its strikes within Lebanese borders, noting that the cause of the current conflict was Israel's ongoing occupation. "The shortest path for the return [of displaced Israelis in the North]," he said, "is a comprehensive, immediate cease-fire as stipulated in the US-Franco declaration yesterday ... as part of a comprehensive framework accompanied by clear international guarantees, transparency, and a definitive end to land, sea, and air incursions and breaches of Lebanese sovereignty."

Both speeches came as the US, France, and several Arab nations tried to use the tail end of the UN General Assembly to broker a temporary Israel to agree to a cease-fire with Lebanon.

Meanwhile, protesters began marching outside the UN security perimeter on Thursday in anticipation of Friday's appearance at UNGA by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has instructed his military to keep fighting “with full force” in Lebanon. Netanyahu said on Thursday that "we will not stop until we achieve our goals, first and foremost returning the residents of the north safely to their homes."

More For You

Saudi Arabia's MBS shaking hands with the UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Saudi Arabia, on September 3, 2025.

IMAGO/APAimages via Reuters Connect
For many years, mutual concern about Iran helped to paper over deeper disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The two powerful and ambitious Sunni Gulf monarchies have been on opposite sides of the civil wars in both Sudan and Yemen, as well as in fierce competition for regional dominance in AI. But two months into the so-far unresolved [...]
​US President Donald Trump arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

US President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One after landing in Beijing today, and the Chinese rolled out the red carpet: military honor guard, three hundred students waving American and Chinese flags, state banquet on the schedule. Trump, who flew in with a delegation of top cabinet officials and some of the biggest names in American business, [...]
Argentina's President Javier Milei gestures in response to comments from deputies with Secretary of the Presidency Karina Milei, Minister of Human Capital Sandra Petovello, and Minister of Economy Luis Caputo.

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei (bottom left), gestures in response to comments from deputies, alongside Secretary of the Presidency Karina Milei (bottom right), Minister of Human Capital Sandra Petovello (top left), and Minister of Economy Luis Caputo (top right), during the Chief of Cabinet's management report session in Congress. (in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 29, 2026).

Silvana Safenreiter/NurPhoto
All across Latin America, right-wing leaders have been consolidating their power.In Argentina, Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza had a superb midterm election night last October, allowing the president to pass major labor reforms in March. Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa eased to reelection last year by a handsome margin. El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele no [...]
​French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenya's President William Ruto at the Taifa Hall of the University of Nairobi, in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 11, 2026.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenya's President William Ruto shake hands during the "Africa Forward Summit 2026" at the Taifa Hall of the University of Nairobi, in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 11, 2026.

REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi
When French President Emmanuel Macron took to the stage at the Africa Forward summit yesterday, the audience may not have expected a scolding.“Hey! Hey! Hey! I’m sorry guys, but it’s impossible to … have people … coming here making a speech with such a noise,” he said. “This is a total lack of respect.”Macron’s harsh words directed at the crowd, [...]