NEW DELHI: United Nations General Assembly president Dennis Francis on Wednesday expressed grave concern over Israel’s continuing bombing campaign in Gaza and raised the spectre of a wider conflict.
He said there are “legitimate questions” about the manner in which Israel has conducted its war on Gaza.
Israel is facing accusations of genocide and collective punishment against Gaza’s civilians in the International Criminal Court.
The war has provoked fears of a regional conflagration, with tensions running high in the Red Sea region as Yemen’s Houthi armed forces are enforcing an anti-Israel sea blockade.
The situation is “extremely disturbing”, the UNGA president said at a press conference in New Delhi.
He said the world does not want to see the regionalisation of the Israeli war on Gaza as an escalation would produce more escalation.
“So a third world war is not beyond the realm of possibility,“ he said.
“And because of the weapons that exist, the power of the weapons that now exists, the outcome is not going to resemble what we saw in the last two wars,“ he added.
The United States and Britain have directly attacked places in Yemen in response to the Houthi operations, raising fears of the conflict getting out of control and more countries getting involved in it.
In response to the charges of genocide against Israel, Francis said the matter has to be “determined in very objective circumstances” by conducting an independent investigation by the ICC.
“I am not saying that there is no genocide. I do not know,“ he said.
The General Assembly president said there is evidence of facilities and installations that under international law are protected coming under direct attacks in the Israel bombing campaign.–Bernama
