Maldives leader says Israel must face ‘genocide’ in Gaza | Israel-Palestine Conflicts News

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu told the United Nations that Israel must be held accountable for its crimes in Gaza, including “massacres”, as well as its attacks on journalists and other violations of international law.

“The ongoing massacre, Israel’s massacre in Gaza is a violation of justice and the international order,” the leader of the Indian Ocean archipelago told the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

He said Israel’s killing of civilians and “repeated destruction” of homes, hospitals, and schools in Gaza now extends to Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel and Hezbollah traded cross-border gunfire again, a day after Israeli forces launched an airstrike in Lebanon that has killed at least 569 people so far.

Israel’s latest attack on Hezbollah has fueled fears that the nearly year-long conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will explode into a regional conflagration.

The Israeli military is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern border, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.

Israel has prioritized the war to secure its northern border and to allow the return of displaced civilians. This has created the stage for a long conflict, and Hezbollah has said that it will not back down until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.

Muizzu also said that Israel is trying to cover up its crimes by targeting Palestinian and Lebanese journalists, including closing Al Jazeera’s facilities in Israel and the West Bank.

“How can we explain this as anything other than a brutal attempt to keep the world from knowing the crimes that are taking place?” he asked.

“Israel must answer for these acts of terrorism, because of these violations of international law and UN resolutions.”

In June, Muizzu said his government would ban Israelis from the Maldives, known for its beautiful beaches and luxury resorts, as public anger rose over Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, leaving almost all of them homeless. people, and left a large part of the enclave in ruins.

On Tuesday, he called on the world to recognize an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“Now, we must ensure that Palestine becomes a full member of the UN,” he added.

In May, the UNGA supported Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the UN by recognizing it as eligible to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably”. The United States had voted against Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the UN Security Council in April.

Muizzu made a request for the climate problem

Muizzu also called on world leaders on Tuesday for more support in the fight against the climate crisis, which threatens the existence of the world’s poorest country.

“Climate change is a major threat to our world, a major challenge for our generation. It removes decades of progress in minutes,” he said.

“It diverts depleted resources for long-term development to emergency relief and reconstruction, preventing countries from adapting to climate impacts.”

He called on the richest countries and the worst carbon emitters to not only meet existing financial pledges made to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change, but also to increase that funding when the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP29 , takes place in November.

“As we work towards COP 29, we must ensure that the new climate finance objective is consistent with the level of climate action required.