President Biden on Tuesday delivered what will likely be his final speech to the United Nations, defending Israel's right to exist and reiterating his call for a two-state solution rejected by leaders within the Jewish state this year.
“The world must not shrink from the horror of October 7th. Every nation has the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack never happens again,” Biden told U.N. member states. “Thousands of armed Hamas terrorists invaded a sovereign nation and massacred more than 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, in their homes and at a music festival.”
Biden cited the “despicable acts of sexual violence” and “250 innocent people taken hostage” during the 2023 attack on Israel.
He then spoke about the situation in Gaza.
“Thousands have been killed, including aid workers,” he said of Gaza. “Too many families have been killed.” [were] Trapped in a tent [and] We are facing a dire humanitarian situation. This is a war that Hamas started and it is not one they wanted.”
He argued that the time has come for both sides to agree to a peace deal proposed through Qatar and Egypt.
“Looking to the future, we must also address the increase in violence against innocent Palestinians in the West Bank and accept the conditions for a better future, including a two-state solution for a world in which Israel enjoys security and peace, and full recognition and normalized relations with all its neighbors. [and] A place where Palestinians live in security, dignity and self-determination in their own state.”
This summer, the Israeli Knesset rejected the two-state solution by a 68-9 vote, saying it “poses an existential danger to the State of Israel” by turning a Palestinian state into a “base for radical Islamic terrorism.”
Regarding the Ukraine issue, Biden said Russian President Putin had failed.
“He tried to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. He tried to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger and more united than ever, with two new members, Finland and Sweden. … The world now faces a new choice: Will we continue to support Ukraine to help it win this war and defend its freedom? Or will we stand aside and allow aggression to resume and a nation to be destroyed? I know the answer. We cannot tire. We cannot look away.”
Meanwhile, Biden also warned the world about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
“I would argue that there will be more technological innovation in the next two to 10 years than in the last 50,” he said. “Artificial intelligence will transform the way we live, work, and wage war. Artificial intelligence will deliver scientific advances at an unprecedented pace, many of which will make our lives better. But AI also poses significant risks, from deep fakes to disinformation to novel pathogens and biological weapons.”
He said the world must ensure that AI “supports, not undermines, the fundamental principle that human life has value and that every human being deserves dignity.”
“We must ensure that the incredible capabilities of AI are used to uplift and empower ordinary people, not to give dictators ever greater stranglehold on the human mind.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Alex Wong/Staff
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
