UNITED NATIONS, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday pledged to cooperate with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Nations on implementing a Gaza peace plan that has won overwhelming support at the world body.
Earlier this month, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly endorsed a seven-page declaration calling for an end to the Gaza war and advancing a two-state solution.
The declaration stemmed from a July international conference on the conflict hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, though both the United States and Israel boycotted the event and dismissed its outcome.
Speaking via video at the U.N. General Assembly after Washington declined to grant him a visa to travel to New York, Abbas distanced himself from Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.
“Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on October 7th — acts that targeted Israeli civilians and took them hostage — because such actions do not represent the Palestinian people nor their just struggle for freedom and independence,” Abbas said.
He stressed that Gaza is an inseparable part of the Palestinian state and declared his readiness for the Palestinian Authority to assume full responsibility for governance and security in the territory.
“Hamas will have no role in governance, and it — along with other factions — must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian National Authority,” Abbas said. “We reiterate that we do not want an armed state.”
Abbas further pledged: “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 endorsed by the General Assembly.”
The remarks align closely with the U.N. declaration and come as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed Trump had recently presented a 21-point Middle East peace plan to Muslim-majority leaders in New York.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 65,000 Palestinians — mostly civilians — have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Hamas attack.
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