Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged Thursday at the United Nations to collaborate with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the U.N. on a Gaza peace plan that has won overwhelming support from the international community.
Earlier this month, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed a seven-page declaration aimed at advancing a two-state solution and ending the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The declaration grew out of an international conference held at the U.N. in July, hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, focused on the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Both the United States and Israel boycotted the event and have dismissed the international efforts.
Separately, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said 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 U.N. General Assembly.
Abbas addressed the annual gathering of world leaders Thursday via video after the United States said it would not grant him a visa to travel to New York.
“Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on Oct. 7 – 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.
“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.
Hamas rejected Abbas’ remarks.
“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 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.
