New York, 23 Sept

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas issued a stern warning to terror group Hamas and its other factions, urging them to surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority, asserting that the state of Palestine is the sole entity eligible to govern and ensure security in Gaza.

Speaking through a video link during a special session on the two-state solution at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, Abbas outlined a vision for a unified Palestinian state under one law and a single legitimate security force.

"The state of Palestine is the only entity eligible to assume full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza. This comes through an interim administrative committee affiliated with the Palestinian government in the West Bank and Arab and international support and participation," Abbas stated.

He emphasised that "Hamas will have no role in governing" and urged, "Hamas and other factions must surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority. What we want is one unified state without weapons, a state with one law and one legitimate security force."

Abbas expressed gratitude for the New York Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in July, which he described as marking "the beginning of an irreversible path" toward ending the humanitarian crisis and Israeli occupation, in line with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The declaration envisions an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace alongside Israel.

Calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, Abbas stressed the need for unhindered humanitarian access through the UN, the release of all hostages and prisoners, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and also advocated for the urgent reconstruction of Gaza and the West Bank through the Cairo International Conference.

"The declaration stressed that the war against our people must come to an immediate and durable end. It noted that the crimes emanating from the siege, the starvation and destruction cannot be a means of achieving security. Therefore, we call for a permanent ceasefire," he said.

"We need to ensure humanitarian access through the United Nations... We need to guarantee the release of all hostages and prisoners, with the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Gaza. We need a start without delay of Gaza and the West Bank reconstruction through the Cairo International Conference," the president added.

Abbas further condemned the "occupation's crimes", including the siege, starvation, and destruction, as well as Hamas's actions on 7 October, 2023.

"We stress our condemnation of the occupation's crimes. We also condemn the killing and detention of civilians, including Hamas's actions on October the 7th, 2023," he said.

He further denounced Israeli policies, including settlement expansion, annexation, settler violence, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

"We condemn the Israeli narrative on greater Israel, which flouts international law. It represents a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace," he added.

France and Saudi Arabia co-chaired the special session. During the session, French President Emmanuel Macron also formally announced France's recognition of the state of Palestine.