‘Will not leave our land’: Palestine President pledges to work with Trump, UN on Gaza peace plan
The 193-member General Assembly earlier this month endorsed a seven-page declaration aimed at advancing a two-state solution and ending the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza.
September 25, 2025 10:53 PM IST
First published on: Sep 25, 2025 at 09:10 PM IST
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged at the United Nations on Thursday to work with US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the UN on a Gaza peace plan overwhelmingly backed by the world body.
The 193-member General Assembly earlier this month endorsed a seven-page declaration aimed at advancing a two-state solution and ending the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. The declaration stemmed from a July international conference hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, which the US and Israel boycotted and have rejected.
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Trump this week presented a 21-point peace plan for the Middle East during meetings with Muslim-majority leaders on the sidelines of the assembly.
Speaking via video, after the US denied him a visa to travel to New York, Abbas said Palestinians reject Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, calling the targeting of civilians and hostage-taking unrepresentative of the Palestinian struggle. He insisted that Gaza is an “integral part of the State of Palestine” and that the Palestinian Authority is ready to assume full responsibility for governance and security there.
“Hamas will have no role in governance, and it — along with other factions — must hand over its weapons,” Abbas said. “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.”
Alluding to fears of an Israeli takeover, Abbas vowed that Palestinians would never abandon Gaza despite the devastation. “Our suffering will not break us,” he declared. “Palestine is ours. We will not leave our land or our homeland. Our roots run deep, like the olive trees.”
An October 7, 2023, Hamas attack killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. More than 65,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed in Gaza, local health authorities say.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
