In UN farewell, Macron denounces Trump's Gaza diplomacy as spectacle of shame

United Nations General Assemblyhours after Trump had, from the same rostrum, hailed his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic ​triumph. "A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognised Palestine.

I hear the cynicism of some people: 'Recognition ​is just a piece of paper; look at the reality,'" Macron said, banging his fist on the podium in ⁠his last speech at the United Nations before stepping down next May. "But what credibility do we have if we continue to remain inactive in ​the face of Gaza?

Some boast of a supposed peace. But that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second. Are we simply ​to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?

"White House responds. In response to Macron's criticism, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said: “President Trump ended the war between Israel and Hamas, freed all living hostages, returned the bodies of the deceased to their loved ones, and is now leading the implementation of the 20-Point Plan for Peace ​in Gaza.

While others talk, this president took this complex problem head-on. No one has done more for peace and stability in the ​region.”Read:Board of Peace reiterates Gaza objectives ahead of UN General Assembly. Macron has faced criticism among some politicians and activists in France that he has done little since recognising a Palestinian state last September.

Despite the criticism, Paris has toughened ‌its stance ⁠on settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, imposing some national sanctions and launching a process to ban products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. "Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where every day violations are committed.

In whose name? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank," Macron said. "What is happening there is building, day by day, the impossibility of a project that should be based on respect for ​the legitimate right of the Palestinian people ​to exist.

"France's ties with Israel ⁠have been particularly strained over the last year. Macron said those who believed that violating the sovereignty of all of Israel's neighbours would ensure its security were mistaken. "They are weakening Israel's security, both today and in the future," ​he said.

'Long live the United Nations'Seven months from France's next presidential election, Macron was making his last ​appearance after first taking ⁠to the rostrum in 2017.

Often showing a keen eye for the trappings of diplomacy — the grand settings, the symbolism, the personal connections — he has at the same time failed to translate this into lasting strategic gains, analysts say. However, he has always been a staunch defender of the multilateral system and the United Nations.

Read More:Europe cannot claim support for rule of law while supporting US-Israeli aggression against Iran: Araghchi. Macron ⁠warned against ​a global "return to the law of the jungle", saying countries faced a choice between a ​world governed by power and coercion and a "civilised international society.

""Our duty, more than ever, is to stand alongside the United Nations. We cannot accept the new order of impunity that some ​would like to build," he said. He ended his speech with "Long Live the United Nations!

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