'Palestinians will not leave,' their president tells world leaders at UN
in defiant, virtual speech
[September 26, 2025]
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and LEE KEATH
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Speaking over video after the United States denied
his visa, the Palestinian leader told world leaders Thursday that his
people reject the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the
militant group would have no role in governing the Gaza Strip after war
ends and must hand over its weapons to his administration. Said Mahmoud
Abbas to his people: “The dawn of freedom will emerge.”
Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly that Palestinians in Gaza “have
been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement”
by Israel. His speech came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
heads to New York to give his own address in person on Friday.
In a short but resolute speech, Abbas laid out his continued vision for
a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel. That
two-state solution has gained traction after a string of countries –
including top U.S. allies -- announced recognition of a Palestinian
state this past week.
But it also appears further than ever from realities on the ground.
Netanyahu’s government has rejected the creation of a Palestinian state.
He says his administration is ‘ready’
Israeli troops control most of the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu says Israel
will maintain security control over the territory after Hamas is
defeated, and he has rejected giving Abbas’ Palestinian Authority any
role in there. Some ministers in Netanyahu’s government have pushed for
annexing the occupied West Bank, where Abbas’ authority currently
administers small pockets of territory.
“There can be no justice if Palestine is not freed,” Abbas said.
The 89-year-old Abbas spoke for only 20 minutes — shorter than his
previous addresses, which often ran over an hour. In it, he sought to
build on the growing, but largely symbolic recognition of statehood to
present his government as an alternative to Hamas — and to Israel's
plans.
He said the Palestinian Authority is “ready to bear full responsibility
for governance and security” in Gaza. He added that “Hamas will have no
role to play in governance,” and will have to hand over their weapons to
the Palestinian authorities.
Hamas has agreed to step down from power in Gaza but has rejected
Israeli demands that it disarm, saying it has a right to resist Israeli
occupation.
Hamas and Abbas' Fatah faction, which dominates the Palestinian
Authority, have long been rivals. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007
in clashes with Fatah, and since then multiple attempts at
reconciliation and unity have failed. Meanwhile, Abbas' Palestinian
Authority has grown increasingly unpopular among Palestinians, many of
whom see it as ineffective, corrupt and a tool of Israel — even as
Israel works to diminish its role.
Abbas said Israel’s campaign in Gaza “is not merely an aggression, it is
a war crime and a crime against humanity.”
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A woman from the delegation of Israel watches Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas address the 80th session of the United Nations General
Assembly via video at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept.
25, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
An increasing number of experts around the world have accused Israel
of genocide in its Gaza assault. Israel denies the accusation,
blaming Hamas for the death and destruction in the territory.
Abbas thanked the world leaders who have stood up for Palestinians
throughout the Gaza war, saying that the recent recognition of
Palestinian statehood has presented his people with hope for peace
and an end to the conflict. He welcomed the recent announcements
from France, the U.K. and Canada to recognize them as an independent
state and called for the remaining few dozen countries to do the
same.
But, he added, symbolic recognition is not enough to address the
present moment.
“The time has come for the international community to do right by
the Palestinian people, so that they may obtain their rights for
their legitimate rights to be rid of the occupation and to not
remain a hostage to the temperament of Israeli politics, which
denies our rights and continue in their injustice, oppression and
aggression,” Abbas said.
An appeal for resolve
Before concluding, he sent a message of hope to the Palestinian
people, saying that no matter how long the suffering continues, “its
results will not break our will to live and survive.”
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people and
wounded more than 167,000 others, according to the Gaza Health
Ministry. It doesn’t say how many were civilians or combatants, but
says women and children make up around half the fatalities. More
than 90% of housing in the territory has been destroyed, most of the
population of more than 2 million have been displaced, and famine
has been declared in northern Gaza.
Israel’s campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed
into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking
251 hostage. Forty-eight captives remain in Gaza, around 20 of them
believed by Israel to be alive.
“The dawn of freedom will emerge, and the flag of Palestine will fly
high in our skies as a symbol of dignity, steadfastness and being
free from the occupation,” Abbas said. “We will not leave our
homeland. We will not leave our lands.”
___
Keath reported from Cairo.
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