News - World: Former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who has been known for her support for Israel and its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, is set to take office as the president of the United Nations General Assembly.

On Tuesday, she will start her job that largely involves organizing plenary sessions among the UN's 193 member states.

Baerbock will be inaugurated shortly before the General Assembly holds its 80th general debate.

She will hold the UN position for one year, during which she should help prepare for the election of a new UN Secretary General next year. 

Back in June, the German politician received 167 votes following a secret ballot at the UN's headquarters in New York. 

She was accused of snatching the job away from German diplomat Helga Schmid, as Berlin had initially nominated the latter for the post, but later replaced her with Baerbock.

During Baerbock’s tenure as the German foreign minister, Israel waged its genocide in Gaza, which has killed 64,522 Palestinians over the past 23 months. 

During the brutal onslaught, Germany has kept supplying Israel with hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons. 

In a controversial speech at the parliament in October 2024, she defended Israeli attacks on civilian sites in Gaza in total disregard of international law and the UN Charter.

In response, more than 300 academics co-signed a letter calling on the German government to retract her comments and apologize. They said Baerbock’s stance stands in stark defiance of international law and basic human decency.

“It is time for Germany to stand on the right side of history, to reject complicity in these crimes, and to honor the principles of humanity it once vowed never to betray,” the academics added.

Meanwhile, thousands of people signed an online petition calling for Baerbock’s resignation. They said her “so-called ‘feminist foreign policy’ is a mockery, dehumanizing Palestinians while selectively sympathizing with Israeli victims.”

Source: Press TV