Mexico's president calls for an end to Gaza 'genocide'

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday called Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip a “genocide,” marking a decisive shift in her government's stance on the conflict — and putting it at odds with the United States.

- BY KATE LINTHICUM

Sheinbaum, who is one of a handful Jewish heads of state, has come under increasing pressure from members of her leftist coalition to more forcefully condemn Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave, where at least 65,000 have died and more than half a million are trapped in famine.

Speaking to journalists at her daily news conference, Sheinbaum said Mexico stands “with the international community to stop this genocide in Gaza.”

Her comments came amid a meeting in New York of the United Nations General Assembly, where several countries, including France, Britain, Canada and Australia, have formally recognized Palestine as a state. Mexico has formally supported Palestinian statehood for years.

Sheinbaum, 63, is the first Jewish leader of Mexico, a nation that is overwhelmingly Catholic. She grew up in a secular household and rarely talks about her Jewish identity.