Abbas endorses France-backed plan to end Gaza war, release hostages, and establish independent Palestinian state.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has expressed his willingness to collaborate with world leaders, including former US President Donald Trump, to implement a peace plan aimed at resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. Speaking via video at the UN General Assembly, Abbas endorsed a plan announced by French President Emmanuel Macron, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, which seeks to simultaneously end Israeli military operations in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Abbas reiterated his rejection of Hamas’ governing role in Gaza, calling for the group to disarm. He also urged countries that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state to do so and called for the UN to grant full membership.
Highlighting the humanitarian crisis, Abbas denounced Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, labeling it “one of the most horrific humanitarian tragedies of the 20th and 21st centuries.” Since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel—which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages—over 65,500 Palestinians, roughly half women and children, have died from Israeli military action, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Abbas thanked countries that recently recognized Palestine, including Canada, Australia, the UK, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Denmark. However, the US and Israel have not endorsed the plan, citing concerns that recognition would reward Hamas.
The peace plan outlines a transitional administration in Gaza, led by Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) and excluding Hamas, paving the way for a sovereign, independent, and demilitarized Palestinian state. Abbas also called for Palestinian control of Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal and the integration of Gaza with the West Bank, supported by Arab nations and the international community.
Looking ahead, Abbas committed to national reforms, including presidential and parliamentary elections within a year of the war’s end, aiming to build a democratic, modern state governed by international law, pluralism, and empowerment of women and youth. The last Palestinian elections in 2006 were won by Hamas, which ousted Abbas’s Fatah faction from Gaza in 2007.
Abbas concluded by expressing readiness to work with Trump, France, Saudi Arabia, the UN, and other partners to implement the plan, emphasizing a vision for justice, peace, and regional cooperation.