Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25 that the Israeli occupation has led to genocide. An estimated 220,000 people have been killed or wounded, with hundreds of thousands displaced, and 80% of buildings, including schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and historic sites, have been destroyed. Abbas said that it is not merely “military aggression,” but a war crime, a humanitarian tragedy that will be remembered forever and be recorded in every history book.
Abbas said that in the West Bank, Israel is working to split the territory into two parts, and to further split Jerusalem. He described the endless terror and assaults by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, who destroy Palestinians’ homes, uproot olive groves, and are “murdering Palestinian residents in broad daylight under the eye of the occupation forces.” All protection goes to the occupiers, not the occupied.
He further asserted that not a single UN initiative or resolution has ever been respected or implemented by Israel, which has now attacked Qatar with impunity. The “Greater Israel” ideology means taking even more land from neighboring states. He went on that Palestinians are still suffering from the consequences of the 1948 Nakba, Palestinians’ forced removal from their homes and relocation into refugee camps.
The Palestinian President said that Palestine had recognized the State of Israel in the 1988 Palestine Declaration and the 1993 Oslo Accords, and continued this recognition just three days ago at an informal meeting at the UN. He added that his Palestinian Authority has rejected all terror or aggression, and denounced the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. He said that the October 7 killing of civilians was not supported by the Palestinian population. A future Palestine will not be an armed state, he asserted. A future government of Palestine will not allow participation by Hamas, and Hamas will be forced to surrender all weapons. He thanked all states that have recognized Palestine, and called for any remaining states to add their name to this list. He thanked the many protesters who made sacrifices for Palestinian justice.
President Abbas made the following demands:
1. End the war.
2. Food cannot be used as a weapon. Allow all humanitarian aid shipments to enter.
3. Both sides should release all hostages and prisoners.
