UN head opens General Assembly accusing Israel of ‘bulldozing’ road to peace, ‘specter of ethnic cleansing’

During his address at the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres accused Israel of “bulldozing the path to peace” in Judea and Samaria and “raising the specter of ethnic cleansing.” He described an “onslaught on Palestinians in Gaza, with a scale of killing and destruction unlike anything I have witnessed in all my years as secretary-general.” Guterres called for an end to fighting and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, while also advocating for the restoration of navigational rights in the Strait of Hormuz. He acknowledged the “abhorrent terror attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7” but did not distinguish between Palestinian civilians and terrorists among the casualties in Gaza.