Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told the UN General Assembly that he is willing to work with global powers—including the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Nations—to deliver a two-state peace plan between Israel and Palestine.
Speaking via video after US authorities barred him and 80 officials from travelling to New York, Abbas backed the proposal unveiled earlier this week by French President Emmanuel Macron at a summit co-chaired with Saudi Arabia.
The plan calls for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas alongside a halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza. A transitional administration, led by Abbas’s Palestinian Authority but excluding Hamas, would then govern Gaza—laying the groundwork for a sovereign, demilitarised Palestinian state.
Abbas stressed that Hamas must disarm and that he would not allow it to take part in Gaza’s future governance. He also urged countries that have not yet recognised Palestine to do so, noting that Canada, Australia, the UK, Portugal, France, and several European states recently extended recognition.
At the same time, Abbas condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, describing it as “one of the most horrific humanitarian tragedies of the 20th and 21st centuries.” According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 65,000 Palestinians—half of them women and children—have been killed since the war began in October 2023. Abbas also rejected Hamas’s attack on Israel that triggered the conflict, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
Looking ahead, the 89-year-old leader pledged that once the war ends, Palestine would hold new presidential and parliamentary elections within a year, rebuild its institutions with Arab and international support, and establish a democratic state guided by rule of law, pluralism, and the empowerment of women and youth.
Despite his commitment, Israel has repeatedly ruled out any future role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, while the United States remains opposed to recognising Palestinian statehood, arguing it would reward Hamas.
Still, Abbas insisted that a path toward peace was possible if the international community acted with unity.