UN at crossroads: Palestine push takes center stage

As the world convulses in war and uncertainty, its leaders gather at the United Nations this week in what Secretary-General António Guterres calls “uncharted waters.” From Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan to Haiti, the crises are piling up — alongside rising inequalities, climate disasters, and runaway technologies. Guterres warns that international cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in generations, but insists this annual summit of presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs is too important to squander on posturing.

One flashpoint already looms large: Palestine. With the Gaza war entering its second year and accusations of genocide leveled against Israel, up to ten more countries are poised to recognize a Palestinian state, joining over 145 nations that already have. A high-level meeting on the two-state solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, will put the issue front and center — even as the United States refused a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, forcing him to speak by video. The gathering, observers say, will test whether the UN can still move beyond speeches to solutions in a fractured world.