UNGA 81: Saudi, India rally round Gaza as Iceland slams Netanyahu

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) saw Saudi Arabia, India, and Iceland drawing attention to the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, rejected any attempts to displace Palestinians or alter the reality of their land. He advocated for a two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, and East Jerusalem as its capital.

Saudi Arabia also called for a weapons-free Middle East, urging nuclear programs to be subject to international oversight, verification, and safeguards.

India's Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, echoed the sentiment, supporting the two-state solution for lasting peace. Meanwhile, Iceland's Foreign Minister, Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, harshly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gunnarsdóttir labeled Netanyahu's approach as that of "moral cowards" who refuse to negotiate for peace, instead prioritizing the denial of humanitarian aid for the desperate.

She condemned the expansion of "illegal settlements" in the West Bank, where Palestinians face settler violence often enabled by impunity and inflammatory rhetoric.

Gunnarsdóttir stressed that the suffering of Palestinian civilians should not be overlooked amidst crises like those in Ukraine. She urged the international community not to accept the destruction and rebuilding of Gaza while the root causes of the conflict remain unresolved. Iceland remains committed to a viable Palestinian state living alongside Israel, ensuring security, dignity, and peace for both peoples.