Mahmoud Abbas — 80th UNGA Statement, 25 September 2025 — Hamas rejection, Trump-Saudi-France peace plan endorsement, 9-point ceasefire framework

H. E. Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, H.E. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Excellencies, distinguished Heads of State and delegations, Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you,

I speak to you today after nearly two years in which our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation, and displacement waged by the Israeli occupation forces. This war has killed and wounded more than 220,000 Palestinians, the majority of them children, women, and elderly civilians, displaced hundreds of thousands, prevented the delivery of food and medicine, and starved two million Palestinians.

A suffocating siege has been imposed on an entire people, destroying more than 80% of homes, schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and infrastructure. What Israel is carrying out is not just aggression—it is a war crime and a crime against humanity, witnessed and documented, and it will be recorded in history books and in the conscience of humanity as one of the most horrific chapters of human tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Palestine, the extremist Israeli government continues implementing colonial policies through illegal settlement expansion and annexation projects, the latest being the construction plan in E1, which aims to divide the West Bank, isolate occupied Jerusalem from its surroundings, and destroy the two-state solution, in blatant violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334.

This is in addition to the Israeli Prime Minister's announcement of his so-called "Greater Israel" plan, which we categorically reject and condemn, as it even includes expansion into sovereign Arab States. We also condemn the recent brutal attack against the fraternal State of Qatar, which we consider a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law requiring decisive intervention and deterrent measures against such expansionist schemes.

**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.**

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 their weapons to the Palestinian National Authority within the framework of building the institutions of one state, one law, and one legitimate security force.** We reiterate that we do not want a militarized state.

Just three days ago, we gathered in the high-level International Conference in New York, co-chaired by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with broad international participation and unified positions reflecting a genuine global will to end this historic conflict through recognition of the State of Palestine, ending the occupation, and restoring hope to both Palestinians and Israelis.

In light of the International Peace Conference's outcomes, we reiterate our call today before the General Assembly for the following:

1. The immediate and permanent cessation of the war in Gaza.
2. The unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid through UN agencies, including UNRWA, and an end to the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
3. The release of all hostages and prisoners on both sides.
4. The full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, rejection of displacement schemes, cessation of settlement activity and settler terrorism, halting the theft of Palestinian land and property under annexation schemes.
5. The State of Palestine assuming full responsibilities, beginning with the Gaza Administration Committee, chaired by a minister in the Palestinian government, to manage Gaza temporarily and link it to the West Bank.
6. Guaranteeing that our people in Gaza remain in their land without displacement.
7. The release of Palestinian tax revenues illegally withheld by Israel.
8. **Support for our national reform efforts, and holding presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the war's end. Practical steps have begun, including the formation of a temporary constitutional drafting committee to complete its work within three months. We have established a unified social welfare system, abolishing the previous system of payments to the families of prisoners and martyrs**, which is now ready for auditing.
9. **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 adopted at the September 22 conference**, paving the way to a just peace and comprehensive regional cooperation.

We say it clearly today: there will be no peace without justice, and no justice without Palestine's liberation.

We want to live in freedom, security, and peace like all other peoples of the earth—in an independent, sovereign state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace with our neighbors. We want a modern, civil state, free of violence, weapons, and extremism, respectful of law and human rights, investing in people, development, technology, and education—not in wars and conflicts.

Palestine is ours, and Jerusalem is the jewel of our hearts and our eternal capital. We will not abandon our homeland, we will not leave our land. Our people will remain rooted like the olive tree, firm as rock, rising from beneath the rubble to rebuild anew.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.