Macron, Trump highlight Middle East intricate crises at UNGA 73

Shaimaa Hefzy

Speeches by key speakers at the high-level General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 73) highlighted several pressing crises and issues in the Arab world, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Iranian threat.

Macron underscored that a two-state solution was the only way to resolve the longstanding crisis.

“What can resolve the crisis between Israel and Palestine?” asked Macron. “Not unilateral initiatives, nor trampling on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to legitimate peace. There is no credible alternative to the two-state solution.”

As for the scene in the Middle East, Macron affirmed that the current situation in Libya allows militias and smugglers to spread and contribute to the destabilization of the region, pointing out that Paris is determined to find a solution for the crisis in Libya.

The French President also called for “dialogue and multilateralism” to resolve the world’s crises. “What will bring a real solution to the situation in Iran and what has already stabilized it? The law of the strongest? Pressure from only one side? No!” exhorted Macron. “We know that Iran was on a nuclear military path but what stopped it? The 2015 Vienna accord,” he said.

Macron further added that Syria has turned into devastated areas and ruins with no winner in this conflict. He also said Paris is fighting terrorism in Syria.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech also included the Palestinian case, as he stressed that the United States “is committed to a future of peace and stability in the region, including peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”

Trump’s speech, however, firmly focused on Iran. “The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from Iran’s treasury, seized valuable portions of the economy, and looted the people’s religious endowments, all to line their own pockets and send their proxies to wage war.”

“We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America,” and that threatens Israel with annihilation, to possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth.”

The United States, according to Trump, will resume sanctions on Iran on Nov. 5.

“The United States is working with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, and Egypt to establish a regional strategic alliance so that Middle Eastern nations can advance prosperity, stability, and security across their home region,” Trump said.

Moreover, the U.S. President affirmed that every solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria must also include a strategy to address the brutal regime that has fueled and financed it, namely “the corrupt dictatorship in Iran.”

Trump also described the ongoing tragedy in Syria as “heartbreaking.”

“Our shared goals must be the de-escalation of military conflict, along with a political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. In this vein, we urge the United Nations-led peace process be reinvigorated,” He added. “But, rest assured, the United States will respond if chemical weapons are deployed by the Assad regime.”