UNITED NATIONS: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged at the United Nations on Thursday to work with US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Nations on a peace plan for Gaza overwhelmingly backed by the world body.
The 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed this month a seven-page declaration that aims to advance a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and end the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas militants.
The declaration emerged from an international conference at the UN in July — hosted by Saudi Arabia and France — on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event and have rejected the international efforts.
Trump offers 21-point peace plan
Separately, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday that Trump had presented a 21-point peace plan for the Middle East and Gaza during a meeting with leaders of several Muslim-majority countries on the sidelines of this week’s UN General Assembly.
Abbas addressed the annual gathering of world leaders on Thursday via video after the United States said it would not give him a visa to travel to New York.
“Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on October 7th — acts that targeted Israeli civilians and took them as hostages — because such actions do not represent the Palestinian people nor their just struggle for freedom and independence,” Abbas said.
Abbas rules out Hamas role, but Hamas objects
“We have affirmed — and will continue to affirm — that Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that we are ready to assume full responsibility for governance and security there. Hamas will have no role in governance, and it — along with other factions — must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian National Authority,” he said. “We reiterate that we do not want an armed state.”
The points he raised are included in the declaration endorsed by the General Assembly.
“We declare our readiness to work with President Donald Trump, with Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations and all partners to implement the peace plan” backed by the General Assembly, Abbas said.
Palestinians and Hamas fighters attend a funeral procession for 40 militants and civilians killed during the war with Israel, at the Shati camp for Palestinian refugees north of Gaza City on February 28, 2025. (AFP file photo).
Hamas objects
Hamas rejected the remarks by Abbas.
“We consider the President of the Authority’s assertion that Hamas will have no role in governance an infringement on the inherent right of our Palestinian people to decide their own destiny and to choose who governs them, and a submission — unacceptable to us — to external dictates and schemes,” Hamas said in a statement.
The group also said that its weapons “cannot be compromised so long as the occupation remains entrenched on our land and oppressing our people,” adding: “We denounce the President of the Authority’s call to surrender them.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described Abbas’ speech as “nice words” to the West and accused the Palestinian leader of failing to fight terrorism.
Abbas “said that he is ready to receive the Gaza Strip, which he so easily lost to Hamas in 2007. How nice of him,” Saar posted on X.
An October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 65,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed during the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
