UNITED Nations, Sept. 24, 2025 – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the State of Palestine is the “only legitimate authority” capable of assuming full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza.
Speaking virtually at a high-profile UN meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Abbas proposed a temporary administrative committee linked to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, with Arab and international support, to oversee Gaza’s transition.
He stressed that Hamas would have no role in governance and, along with other factions, must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority. “We want one unified state, without arms outside the framework of the law, under one legal system and one legitimate security force,” Abbas said. He condemned “crimes of the occupation” as well as the killing and kidnapping of civilians, including Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks.
Abbas called for an immediate halt to settlement construction, annexation, settler violence and assaults on Islamic and Christian holy sites. He denounced policies that isolate Jerusalem and expand building in the sensitive E1 corridor, saying they “show contempt for international law” and threaten Arab national security and international peace. He also condemned “blatant aggression” against the sovereignty of Qatar and other Arab states, urging a firm international response.
The Palestinian leader outlined a reform agenda to strengthen governance, transparency and the rule of law. This includes overhauling the financial system, aligning school curricula with UNESCO standards within two years, and establishing a unified social welfare programme following the cancellation of previous payments to families of prisoners and martyrs – now subject to an international audit.
Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the war ends, and to draft a temporary constitution within three months to guide the transition from authority to statehood. Only parties and individuals who accept the political programme and international obligations of the Palestine Liberation Organization would be eligible to participate, under international monitoring.
He called for wider recognition of Palestinian statehood and full UN membership, noting that the Palestine Liberation Organization recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1988 and reaffirmed that commitment in 1993. Abbas thanked countries that have recently recognized Palestine – including Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Armenia – and praised Saudi Arabia, France and the UK for mobilizing international support at the New York conference.
Rejecting any conflation of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and antisemitism, which he said Palestinians “firmly oppose,” Abbas expressed readiness to work with US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, the UN and other partners to implement the peace plan endorsed at the conference “within a specific timetable and under international guarantees and monitoring.”
He urged Israel to “immediately sit at the negotiating table to stop the bloodshed and achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region” and addressed Israelis directly: “Our future and your future lie in peace. Let the violence and war end. Our generations deserve to live in security and freedom.” He ended by wishing Jews worldwide a happy Rosh Hashanah and telling Palestinians at home and abroad that “the dawn of freedom and independence is inevitably coming.”
