The launch of the work of the United Nations General Assembly amidst the increasing pace of polarization in international relations

Today, Monday, the work of the eighty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly began at the headquarters of the United Nations Assembly in New York City, from which a number of prominent world leaders will be absent this year, including the leaders of Russia, France, Britain, and China.

However, experts believe there are many interesting dynamics to watch between heads of state, diplomats, business leaders, NGOs, and even members of royal families, as attendees include US President Joe Biden, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The UN General Assembly podium offers US President Biden an ideal setting to show that, despite his efforts to shift US focus to China, he is not abandoning other key regions, such as the Middle East.

He received speeches from Brazil, the United States, Ukraine, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Iran on Tuesday, September 19, Palestine, Israel and China on Thursday, September 21, Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, September 23, and Syria on Tuesday, September 26. 2023.

The White House’s plan for President Biden’s agenda so far (which Al-Quds viewed, according to what the White House shared with journalists) does not include many bilateral meetings with Middle Eastern leaders, but - according to media sources - he may meet some of them, such as Turkish President Erdogan and Emir Qatar, Tamim, in less formal settings such as receptions.

According to what Al-Quds.com has learned, there is an issue of great importance, which is the normalization agreement that the Biden team has reached towards diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Israel, although the Saudi newspaper “Elaf” revealed on Sunday that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia informed the administration US President Joe Biden announced its decision to halt all talks on normalization of relations with Israel, attributing the news to an Israeli official in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, saying that the “extremist” nature of the right-wing government in Israel led by Prime Minister Netanyahu “undermines any possibility of rapprochement with the Palestinians, and thus with the Saudis.”

Biden is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and this is actually a letdown for Netanyahu, who wants an invitation to the White House.

But Biden is concerned about the Netanyahu government's efforts to reform Israel's judiciary, which many Israelis protest as undemocratic. It seems that he is unwilling to ask the Israeli leader to visit Washington at the present time, according to all reports.

It is noteworthy that Biden shook hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit this month in New Delhi, in the latest indication that the Saudi Crown Prince was able to restore strong historical relations with the United States, despite pressure from neoliberals in Washington, who want Biden to He maintains his pledges to treat the Saudi Crown Prince as a “rogue person” over allegations of the human rights situation in the Kingdom.

Biden's current interest in the Middle East comes at a time when China is presenting itself as a potential peacemaker in the region. Beijing has already pushed for a diplomatic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and has indicated that it can work to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

It is not yet known whether Biden or his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, will hold any meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller responded to the Jerusalem correspondent’s question in this regard by saying, “I do not know about the White House, but the schedule of meetings that may “It is being held by Secretary Blinken, and it has not yet been completed.”

An informed source told Al-Quds.com's correspondent in Washington that he believes there will be some meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly between an American official and a Palestinian official.

It is also noteworthy that US President Biden helped, at the G20 Summit, launch “a major infrastructure initiative linking India, the Middle East, and Europe,” which experts expect will be something that will be discussed in some way in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ukrainian President Zelensky plans to personally engage with world leaders at this year's meeting, as he seeks to hold as many personal meetings as possible with leaders of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, in an attempt to persuade these countries to stand with Ukraine against Russia.

How Russia responds may depend on which diplomats want to see with the Russian representative, which is (most likely) Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov will also likely try to hold several such meetings, at least to ensure that certain countries remain neutral.

It is noteworthy that last year, Lavrov did not hold many meetings due to American pressure on the participants, which seems to have changed this year, especially in the context of Zelensky’s presence, as the world leaders who will meet with the Ukrainian president this year may feel forced to see... Lavrov too, if they are determined to avoid taking sides.

It is expected that the frequency of verbal quarrels between America and its camp with African countries will increase this year due to the military coups that shook the continent, which took place in Niger and Gabon only the past few months.