Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has told the United Nations that Israel must be held accountable for the crimes it is committing in Gaza, including “genocide”, as well as its attacks on journalists and other violations of international law.
“The ongoing massacre, the genocide by Israel in Gaza is a travesty of justice and the international system,” 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 its “repeated destruction” of homes, hospitals, and schools in Gaza was now being extended to Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Israel and Hezbollah again traded cross-border fire, a day after the Israeli military launched a wave of air attacks into Lebanon that have killed at least 569 people so far.
Israel’s new offensive against Hezbollah has stoked fears that nearly a year of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will explode into a larger regional conflagration.
The Israeli military is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Israel has made a war priority of securing its northern border and allowing for the return of displaced residents. This has set the stage for a long conflict, while Hezbollah has said it will not back down until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
Muizzu also said Israel was attempting to cover up its crimes by targeting Palestinian and Lebanese journalists, including by closing Al Jazeera bureaus in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“How can we interpret this as anything other than brutal attempts to prevent the world from knowing the crimes taking place?” he asked.
“Israel must be held accountable for these acts of terrorism, for these violations of international law and UN resolutions.”
In June, Muizzu said his government will ban Israelis from the Maldives, known for idyllic beaches and luxury resorts, as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation was rising over Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, displaced nearly all of the population, and left much of the enclave in ruins.
On Tuesday, he called for the world to accept a sovereign and independent 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 backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”. The United States had vetoed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member at the Security Council in April.
Muizzu makes climate crisis plea
Muizzu also asked world leaders on Tuesday for additional support in combatting the climate crisis, which is threatening the existence of the world’s lowest-lying country.
“Climate change is the most serious threat to our world, the defining challenge of our generation. It’s washing away decades of progress in mere minutes,” he said.
“It’s diverting already depleted resources for long-term development to emergency relief and reconstruction, preventing countries from adapting to the climate impact.”
He called on rich countries and the worst emitters of carbon to not only meet exisiting financial pledges made to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change, but also to extend that funding when the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference, more commonly known as COP29, takes place in November.
“As we work towards COP 29, we must ensure the new goal on climate finance matches the level of climate action required.”