Gaza and Palestine take center stage as world leaders address opening day of 81st UN General Assembly in New York

UN chief Antonio Guterres: ‘Support for two states must go beyond words,’ warning that violence, displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank are ‘bulldozing the path to peace and raising the specter of ethnic cleansing’

French President Emmanuel Macron: ‘Shame on all of us’ over restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza, warning that the international community’s ‘credibility’ is at stake

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: ‘We need to begin the reconstruction of Gaza without wasting any time,’ calling for greater international pressure on Israel and saying attempts to ‘strangle the state of Palestine’ will fail

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