Canada seeks new partners as Iceland rebukes Netanyahu on Gaza aid

At the 81st U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, Iceland's foreign minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir turned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's phrase back on other leaders. Netanyahu had called walkout attendees 'moral cowards' in his Friday speech. Speaking about Gaza, she said: 'We have heard the words 'moral cowards' from this podium. To me, moral cowards are those leaders around the world who refuse to sit down and negotiate a just and lasting peace. Those who deny access to humanitarian aid for people in desperate need. And moral cowards are those leaders who repeatedly go against and disrespect international law.' Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand told the assembly the country can no longer afford to be overly reliant on any one partner. She pointed to deeper economic ties with Europe, India, China and African countries, higher defense spending in line with NATO, and a new consulate in Greenland. Echoing Prime Minister Mark Carney on middle powers, she said Canada is a reliable partner ready to work together. A Friday rumor that Xi Jinping would leave Washington for New York proved false. An unnamed U.N. compound source said 'The Chinese don't improvise.' Han Zheng spoke Saturday as scheduled; Xi returned to Beijing after meeting Donald Trump at the National Archives Museum on Friday. CONTESTED: none found; no outlet or figure in the record disputed these accounts.