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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed his readiness to collaborate with international leaders to implement the peace initiative for Israel and Palestine recently unveiled by France.
In a video address to the UN General Assembly, President Abbas reiterated his opposition to any future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and called for the group’s disarmament.
He also urged nations that have not yet formally recognized the State of Palestine to do so and appealed to the UN to grant Palestine full membership status.
President Abbas strongly condemned Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, describing it as “one of the most horrific humanitarian tragedies of the 20th and 21st Centuries.” However, he also stated his “rejection” of Hamas’s actions in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The October 7th attack resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, primarily civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals, precipitating the ongoing conflict in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, at least 65,502 Palestinians, approximately half of whom are women and children, have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then.
President Abbas, 89, was reportedly unable to attend the UN General Assembly in person due to visa revocations issued by the US State Department last month, affecting him and 80 other Palestinian officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the visa revocations to the officials’ alleged undermining of peace efforts and pursuit of “the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.”
In his address, President Abbas expressed gratitude to the countries that have recently recognized a Palestinian state, following a series of declarations that began with Canada, Australia, the UK, and Portugal on Sunday.
France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Denmark subsequently followed suit.
The US currently opposes the recognition of Palestine, asserting that such a move would reward Hamas.
President Abbas voiced his support for the peace plan presented by French President Emmanuel Macron at Monday’s summit, which was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia.
The plan advocates for the simultaneous release of the 48 remaining hostages held by Hamas, coupled with a cessation of Israeli military operations throughout Gaza.
This would be succeeded by a transitional administration, incorporating President Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) but excluding Hamas, to govern Gaza, thereby paving the way for a “sovereign, independent, and demilitarized State of Palestine.”
Neither the US nor Israel has endorsed the proposed plan.
President Abbas affirmed his “read[iness] to work with President Donald Trump, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations, and all partners to implement the peace plan… paving the way toward a just peace and comprehensive regional co-operation.”
He also called for a Palestinian state to assume “full responsibilities” for the Gaza Strip following an Israeli withdrawal and to connect it with the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with Arab and international support.
Israel has previously dismissed any future post-war role for the PA in Gaza.
The Palestinian president further stated that there would be “national efforts toward reform, including holding presidential and parliamentary elections within one year of the war’s end.”
“We want a democratic, modern state committed to international law, rule of law, pluralism, peaceful transfer of power, and the empowerment of women and youth.”
The most recent national Palestinian elections took place in 2006, with Hamas emerging as the victor.
The following year, Hamas forcibly removed President Abbas’s Fatah faction – their political rivals – from Gaza, assuming sole control of the territory.
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