The United Nations General Assembly kicked off its annual symposium Tuesday, holding the gathering of world leaders in video conference form over the coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing the UNGA, US President Donald Trump reiterated his administration's plans to broker future peace agreements between Israel and other countries in the Middle East.
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Trump called the treaties inked between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain "landmark breakthrough with two peace deals in the Middle East after decades of no progress," adding that other nations will soon follow suit.
"They are coming fast, and they know it's great for them and great for the world," he said in a recorded message. "We intend to deliver more peace agreements shortly, and I have never been more optimistic for the future of the region. There is no blood in the sand. Those days are hopefully over.
"These groundbreaking peace deals are the dawn of a new Middle East. By taking a different approach, we have achieved different outcomes – far superior outcomes."
He added that the deals represent "peace through strength."
Turning his attention to Iran, Trump said the US "withdrew from the terrible Iran nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions on the world's leading state sponsor of terror," he says, underlining the US killing of Iran's Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January.
The US president, in his speech, also criticized world powers for lambasting the US's environmental record saying, "They only want to punish America and I will not stand for it. If the United Nations wants to be an effective organization, it must focus on the real problems of the world. This includes terrorism, oppression of women, and human and sex trafficking."
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan lauded Trump following his address, saying that the US and Israel "are forging a new path for peace in the Middle East. Thank you to President Trump for helping lead this new effort, proving that 'peace through strength' is the right formula, and that partnership with a strong Israel is good for the region."
Later on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the UNGA and called for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I am delighted that Israel has obtained recognition [from the UAE and Bahrain]. It is a pledge of hope for the future. However, a just peace requires above all to find the ways and means of a decisive negotiation which will allow the Palestinians to finally have their rights," he said.
"I do not believe in a peace which will be built on hegemony or humiliation, even if this would be compensated by money because we do not compensate for the humiliation of a people by money," he added, referring to the Trump administration's peace plan.
Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Macron assured the UNGA that France and its European allies – Germany and the United Kingdom – would "not compromise" on their refusal to support the restoration of sanctions against Iran demanded by Washington.
"France, with its German and British partners, will maintain its demand for full implementation of the 2015 Vienna agreement" on Iranian nuclear power "and will not accept the violations committed by Iran," he said.
In a separate address, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted Israel for its alleged violations of international law against the Palestinian people, adding that the Trump administration has been "a willing collaborator" with the Jewish state.
"The occupation of Palestine is a bleeding wound" for the international community, Erdogan said, accusing Israel of "constantly increasing its audacity" regarding holy sites in Jerusalem.
"The Palestinian conflict can only be resolved with an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine based on '67 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. Seeking solutions other than this are in vain, one-sided and unjust," he stated.
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Erdogan also hailed the Palestinian people who "stood up to Israeli policies of violence and intimidation for a century," and urged tighter controls over the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, as to not allow visitors to trample the grounds with their "filthy feet."
The Turkish leader also took shots at the White House, specifically its vision for Middle East peace, adding US President Donald Trump is a "collaborator" with Israel in oppressing the Palestinian people and denying them an independent state.
"Turkey will not support any plan the Palestinian people don't give consent to," Erdogan said. "[The plan] does not mean anything but [support for] Israel's efforts to erode basic international parameters."
Erdan, who was present at the UN for the annual gathering, walked out of the General Assembly's hall in protest of Erdogan's speech.
"Erdogan continues his lies and anti-Semitic statements against Israel, and it is important that the world know the double standards by which he has been living for many years," Erdan stated.
