French President Emmanuel Macron was addressing the General Assembly for the last time, as his term limit approaches and presidential elections beckon early next year.

He alluded to his previous visit to the event in New York, when a dozen countries including France announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood.

"I understand that some of you are very cynical," Macron said, and some people would argue this recognition was only on paper and did not address the reality of the situation.

"But what is our credibility worth if we remain inactive on Gaza?" he asked. "Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. The scenes, the spectacle, it is shameful. Shame on all of us!"

Macron said that what was needed was respect for the "legitimate rights" of the Palestinian people, arguing that this was a "prerequisite for security" not just for Palestinians but also for Israel.

"But all those who claim that Israel's security requires the violation of the sovereignty of all of its neighboring states are making a very fateful error," Macron said. "They are weakening Israel's security, today, and going forward. They are threatening Israel's security, in fact."

What did Macron suggest regarding Ukraine?
Macron said that France and its allies would continue providing "unstinting support" to Kyiv, but he also floated a suggestion similar to those made by others involved either in the conflict or the efforts to broker a stop to the fighting.

He proposed a "double moratorium," saying that both Ukraine and Russia should commit to stop strikes on each others's energy infrastructure and on grain shipments in the Black Sea.

"Winter is coming," Macron said, explaining, "We'd like to express our support [for] a double moratorium. A moratorium on strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure, that's first. And a Black Sea moratorium which would allow us to release grain shipments."

In times of peace both Russia and Ukraine are prolific agricultural exporters, and use the Black Sea to ship their produce.

Part of supporting Ukraine, Macron said, was working to ensure that "useful negotiations" between the two sides start as quickly as possible. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was attending Tuesday's session; Russia's Vladimir Putin was not expected to travel to New York, or at least he has not done so since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.