(The Hill) President Biden on Tuesday said goodbye to the United Nations, emphasizing ongoing global turmoil and the need for peace in a speech concluding decades of foreign policy work.
The president spoke about his decision not to run for re-election in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying it was a “difficult” choice because he wanted to do more.
“I love my job, but I love my country even more, and after 50 years of public service, I have decided that it’s time for a new generation of leadership to lead our country forward,” Biden said. “To all leaders, never forget that there are more important things than staying in power. There are more important things than your people.”
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The UN Secretary-General said this would be his final address to the international body and his fourth as chair, and acknowledged challenges around the world.
The president said the United States and its allies have been “determined to prevent a larger war” since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the continuation of the war in Gaza, but acknowledged that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has become involved and that the conflict has escalated.
“Hezbollah took part in the October 7 attack, firing rockets into Israel, without provocation. Nearly a year later, too many people remain displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border,” Biden said.
“All-out war is not in anyone’s interest,” he said. “Even if the situation escalates, a diplomatic solution is still possible. Indeed, the only path to lasting security is for residents of both countries to safely return to their homes and homes on the border, and we are working tirelessly to make that happen.”
Biden said Sunday that the United States was doing all it could to prevent a broader war in the Middle East following recent artillery fire between Israel and Hezbollah. But Israeli bombing in recent days has killed more than 500 people and forced thousands to flee Lebanon, making Monday Lebanon’s deadliest day since 2006.
“We are working to bring greater peace and stability to the Middle East,” Biden said Tuesday. “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.”
He added that “innocent civilians in Gaza are also experiencing hell… They did not want this war started by Hamas.”
Representatives of Israel and Palestine looked on during his speech at the UN.
“Now is the time for the parties to finalize the terms, bring the hostages home, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” he said to applause.
The president also reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine and said he had called on U.N. allies to stand up for the war-torn country.
“The good news is that Putin’s war failed to achieve his primary objectives. He planned to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. He planned to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger and more united than ever before,” Biden said.
“The world now faces a new choice: Do we continue to support Ukraine to help it win this war and defend its freedom? Or do we stand back and allow it to reunite and forge a nation to perish? I know the answer: we will not tire, we will not look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine,” he added, drawing applause from the audience.
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During his speech, the president also spoke about climate change, artificial intelligence, and competition with China.
He emphasized that his career has been focused on foreign policy, beginning with his opposition to apartheid South Africa as a senator in the 1980s to the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which he called a “decision marked by tragedy.”
“I have witnessed an astonishing turn of history,” the president said.
He then added a message of optimism amid global turmoil: “Even amid the horror of war, there is a way forward. Things can get better. We must never forget that. I have seen that throughout my career.”