UN General Assembly 2026: War on Iran and Gaza genocide dominate

The 81st United Nations General Assembly began in New York City on Tuesday, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres kicking off the event. Guterres warned that superpowers are reaching the limits of their power and called for an end to the military solutions in the Middle East. He emphasized the need for a networked multipolar world centered around the UN for balanced and representative global problem-solving.

Guterres condemned Israel's genocide in Gaza and criticized the weakening of global institutions like the UN. He called for urgent de-escalation and dialogue to prevent the fighting, particularly in Gaza, where nearly 74,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the US efforts to undermine the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the war on Iran.

He lamented the passing of two statesmen, Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin, who had fought for peace, and warned against the rise of hatred and extremism. Lula called for a balance between multilateralism and unilateralism, democracy and extremism, and sovereignty and subordination. He criticized Israel's territorial ambitions and attacks, stating that Israel's government has reached terrifying levels of impunity.

Jordan's King Abdullah II opened with a harsh indictment of Israel, accusing it of war crimes in the West Bank and Gaza, and asserting that Israel's ambitions extend beyond Palestinian land.