AILSA CHANG, HOST:
World leaders are gathering at the United Nations headquarters this week, with the wars in Gaza and Ukraine topping the agenda. President Trump will address the world body tomorrow, and he will find himself at odds with much of the world when it comes to the Palestinian cause. France, the U.K., Australia and Portugal have now joined the majority of countries in recognizing Palestine as a state. The Trump administration and Israel call that a gift to Hamas, and Israel is threatening to retaliate. NPR's Michele Kelemen joins us now to talk about all of this. Hi, Michele.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so give us a sense of the scene there at the U.N. right now.
KELEMEN: Yeah, so today, France and Saudi Arabia co-hosted this conference on Palestinian statehood, and French President Emmanuel Macron got a standing ovation when he announced that his country now recognizes Palestine as a state.
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PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French).
(APPLAUSE)
KELEMEN: You know, later in his remarks, he said he would be opening an embassy for Palestine as soon as all the hostages are freed and a ceasefire is established. Macron seemed to really be enjoying being at the center of attention in the General Assembly Hall. He sat at the dais alongside Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.
And during his speech, the webcast showed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also applauding Macron, too. But he was on video because the Trump administration refused to give him a visa to actually come here. In his speech, Abbas called for a ceasefire and talks with Israel, and he made clear that Hamas should have no role in Gaza and must surrender all of its weapons. But, you know, his government in Ramallah doesn't really have influence there in Gaza.
CHANG: And Israel and the U.S. boycotted this conference, right? Like, what are they saying?
KELEMEN: Right. I mean, their seats were empty during this session. Before it started, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called it a charade and a gift to Hamas. Take a listen.
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DANNY DANON: When Hamas is praising this conference and calling it the fruit of October 7, we know it's a problem. If a terrorist organization is supporting what's happening here, it's shameful.
KELEMEN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been warning countries that he's going to retaliate against those who are recognizing Palestine as a state. Danon didn't say what he would do but said that Netanyahu would address the world body on Friday and would visit Washington to discuss next steps with President Trump.
CHANG: All right, so it sounds like it'll be a pretty dramatic moment when Netanyahu speaks at the end of the week. What else are you expecting?
KELEMEN: Well, lots of talk about Russia's war against Ukraine. After President Trump speaks tomorrow at the General Assembly, he's expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This morning, his new ambassador, Mike Waltz, made his first appearance in the Security Council. It was an emergency meeting called by the Estonians after three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace last week. Waltz called on Russia to stop this dangerous behavior - those were his words. And he said that the U.S. and its allies would defend every inch of NATO territory.
CHANG: That is NPR's Michele Kelemen speaking to us from the United Nations in New York. Thank you, Michele.
KELEMEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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