New York [US], September 25 (ANI): On the third day of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the world body via video link, following the Trump administration’s refusal to issue visas to him and his delegation.
In his remarks, Abbas made it clear that he does not endorse the actions of Hamas during the October 7 assault on Israel. “Despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the seventh of October,” he said, adding that the killing of civilians and the taking of hostages does “not represent the Palestinian people, nor do they represent their just struggle for freedom and independence.”
Abbas reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip remains a central part of the Palestinian state. “We have affirmed, and we will continue to affirm, that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the state of Palestine, and that we are ready to bear full responsibility for governance and security there,” he stated.
Rejecting any role for Hamas in the future government, Abbas insisted, “Hamas will not have a role to play in governance,” stressing that armed groups must disarm. “Hamas and other factions will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian National Authority as part of a process to build the institutions of one state, one law and one legal security force. We reiterate that we do not want an armed state. Ladies and gentlemen, our wounds are deep and our calamity is great.”
Abbas also turned attention to the broader Palestinian struggle, noting, “Seven million Palestinians are still living the tragedies of the Nakba and displacement since 1948.” He said the people of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza continue to endure “the tragedies of the Israeli aggression and occupation for decades,” citing years of “occupation, killing, arrests and settlement and the theft of money, property and lands.”
Highlighting global inaction, Abbas pointed out, “More than a thousand resolutions at the United Nations, not one of them was implemented. There have been many efforts, many international initiatives, without reaching an end to this tragic situation that the Palestinian people are living under the yoke of occupation.”
He reminded the Assembly that the Palestinian authorities had adhered to the Oslo Accords. “We restructured our institutions, and we amended our national charter, and we rejected violence and terrorism and we adopted a culture of peace,” Abbas said. “We made all our efforts to build the institutions of a modern Palestinian state that lives side by side in peace and security with Israel, but Israel did not adhere to signed agreements and has worked systematically on undermining them.”
Expressing gratitude to those who have supported Palestine, Abbas said, “I share my appreciation for all the peoples and organisations around the world who protested in support of the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence and to stop the war, destruction and starvation.” He stressed that support for Palestine should not be conflated with prejudice: “We reject confusing the solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the issue of anti-Semitism, which is something that we reject based on our values and principles within the framework of welcoming the outcomes of the International Conference for Peace.”
Abbas then outlined a set of urgent demands, beginning with “the need for an immediate and permanent end to the war in Gaza” and the unconditional entry of humanitarian aid through the United Nations, including UNRWA. He called for “the release of all hostages and prisoners on both sides,” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and an end to settlement activity, annexation attempts, and settler violence.
He proposed that the Palestinian Authority take administrative responsibility for Gaza, under Arab and international supervision, to protect civilians and connect governance with the West Bank. He emphasised the importance of ensuring that “residents of the Gaza Strip remain on their lands without displacement” and called for a recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza and the West Bank.
Abbas demanded that Israel release Palestinian tax revenues “unjustly” withheld and lift the economic blockade on Palestinian areas. He further urged international support for governmental reforms and pledged to “conduct presidential and parliamentary elections within a year after the end of the war,” noting that a committee is already drafting a temporary constitution.
He signalled willingness to cooperate internationally: “Palestine is ready to work with Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, the UN and all partners to implement the peace plan that was approved in the conference that was held on September 22 in a way that would lead towards a just peace and regional cooperation.”
Closing his address with an appeal to Palestinians everywhere, Abbas said, “No matter how much our wounds bleed and no matter how long this suffering lasts, it will not break our will to live and survive. The dawn of freedom will emerge, and the flag of Palestine will fly high in our skies as a symbol of dignity, steadfastness and being free from the yoke of occupation. Palestine is ours. Jerusalem is the jewel of our heart and our eternal capital. We will not leave our homeland.”
“We will not leave our lands. Our people will remain rooted like the olive trees. Firm as the rocks, we will rise from under the rubble to rebuild and send from our blessed and holy land a message of hope and the sound of truth and right and build the bridges of a just peace for the people of our region and the entire world,” he concluded. (ANI)
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