NEW YORK CITY — President Biden, in his final address to the United Nation’s General Assembly, warned that the world is at an “inflection point,” while maintaining U.S. support for Ukraine; Israel’s right to defend itself; and declaring Palestinians should be able to live “in a state of their own.”
Biden delivered his fourth and final speech to the assembly as President of the United States on Tuesday, addressing leaders and representatives from 134 countries around the globe.
“Today is the fourth time I’ve had the great honor of speaking to this assembly as President of the United States,” Biden said Tuesday morning. “It’ll be my last.”
Biden reflected on the global order when he was first elected as a U.S. senator in 1972, saying the world was at “an inflection point” and a “moment of tension and uncertainty.”
“The world was divided by the Cold War; the Middle East was headed toward war; America was at war in Vietnam at that point — the longest war in America’s history,” Biden said. “Our country was divided and angry, and there were questions about our staying power and our future. But even then, I entered public life not out of despair, but out of optimism.”
Biden said when he was elected president, the world was in “another moment of crisis and uncertainty.”
But under the Biden-Harris administration, officials have sought diplomacy amid global instability and fears of a growing war in the Middle East, especially following its botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, the years-long Russia-Ukraine war, the growing threat from Iran’s nuclear development, increased aggression from China, and a crisis at the U.S. southern border.
“I truly believe we’re at another inflection point in world history, where the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come,” Biden said Tuesday. “We stand behind the principles that unite us; we stand firm against aggression; we end the conflicts that are raging today. We take on global challenges like climate change, hunger and disease.”
“Putin’s war has failed,” Biden said.
Biden stressed that the world “cannot grow weary” and “cannot look away” or “let up on our support for Ukraine.”
“We need to uphold our principles as we seek to responsibly manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict,” he said.
Biden stressed that he is working to “bring greater measure of peace and stability to the Middle East.”
“The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7th – any country would have the right responsibility to ensure that such attack can never happen again,” Biden said, referring to Hamas’ brutal terror attack in Israel. “Thousands of armed Hamas terrorists invaded a sovereign state, slaughtering and massacring more than 1200 people, including 46 Americans in their homes and at a music festival, the despicable acts of sexual violence, 250 innocents taken hostage.”
Biden said he has met with the families of those hostages.
“I grieve with them,” he said. “They’re going through hell.”
But Biden said, “Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell.”
Biden pointed to the ceasefire and hostage deal his administration has worked on with Qatar and Egypt.
“Now it is time for the parties to finalize terms, bring the hostages home, secure Israel and Gaza free of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” he said.
Biden stressed that his administration has been “determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region.”
“A full scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” he said. “Even as the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible.”
“In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security,” Biden continued, so that “the residents from both countries return to their homes.”
“That’s what we’re working tirelessly to achieve,” Biden said.
But as for the war in Gaza, Biden, notably, did not mention rising antisemitism in the United States and around the globe since the Oct. 7 attacks, but instead, discussed the “rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank.”
Biden said the world needs to work towards “a two-state solution where the world—where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalize relations with all its neighbors; and with Palestinians, living securely with dignity and self-determiniation in a state of their own.”
Meanwhile, Biden declared the need to continue to ensure Iran will “never obtain a nuclear weapon.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.