UN (AP) – The Palestinian president spoke on video after the US cancelled his visa, telling world leaders on Thursday that Hamas “rejected” an attack on Israel in 2023 and pledged that after the war ends, Hamas must rule Gaza and hand over weapons.
Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that Palestinians in Gaza are “facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement by Israel.” His speech came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to New York on Friday, giving him his own address.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is working on the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video on Thursday, September 25th, 2025 (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Despite laying out the death and destruction in Gaza in horrifying detail, Abbas said he “rejected” the actions taken by Palestinian authorities on October 7th, and that it did not represent their people. He also laid out a vision of what the government would look like on the territory once the war is over, saying Palestinian authority is “ready to take full responsibility for governance and security. He added that “Hamas will not play a role in governance,” and that their arms will have to be handed over to the Palestinian authorities.
“If Palestine is not released, justice is impossible,” Abbas said.
In a brief but determined speech, Abbas thanked the world leaders who stood up against the Palestinians throughout the Gaza War, saying that the recent recognition of the Palestinian state gave his people hope for peace and an end to the conflict. He welcomed recent announcements from France, the UK and Canada, recognised them as independent nations and called on the remaining dozens of countries to do the same.
However, he added that symbolic recognition is not sufficient to deal with the present moment.
“It is time for the international community to do the right thing by the Palestinian people, so they can get the right to remove the occupation and not take the temperament of Israeli politics hostage.
Before closing, he sent a message of hope to the Palestinians, saying, no matter how long the suffering lasts, “the consequences will not break our will to survive and survive.”
“The dawn of freedom will appear, and the Palestinian flag will fly high in our sky as a symbol of dignity, immobility and freedom from occupation,” Abbas said. “We will not leave our hometown. We will not leave our land.”
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Keith reported from Cairo.
