NEW YORK, Sep 22— The opening of this year’s United Nations General Assembly is coinciding with a series of moves by key U.S. allies recognising the State of Palestine and a renewed focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia formally announced they were recognising the State of Palestine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the recognition was intended “to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution.”Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, denied a U.S. visa, will address the Assembly by prerecorded video after a resolution allowing him to do so passed overwhelmingly — 145 in favour, 5 against. Israel has opposed the recognitions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week: “Recognition of a Palestinian state now is a prize for terrorism … there will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan.” These developments come as the death toll in Gaza continues to climb. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military campaign began in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken. The UN Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel’s conduct in Gaza meets the legal threshold for genocide, a finding Israel rejects as biased and false.At the UN Security Council, the United States vetoed a draft resolution demanding a permanent Gaza ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access, although the other 14 members supported it. Washington said the text did not condemn Hamas or guarantee Israel’s security. With recognitions by close U.S. allies, an unprecedented death toll in Gaza and a genocide finding from a UN body, this year’s UNGA session has become a focal point for the shifting diplomatic landscape around the Israel–Palestine conflict.