Abbas Addresses UN General Assembly After US Travel Ban, Blames Israel

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas delivered a pre-recorded speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, after the United States blocked him and other senior Palestinian officials from traveling to New York. In his address, Abbas condemned the US decision, demanded full UN membership for Palestinians, and accused Israel of numerous actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Abbas stated that the Palestinian delegation's exclusion from the General Assembly contradicted US commitments as the host nation and urged Washington to reverse its sanctions. He argued that the Palestinian people and their leadership should not be punished for seeking an end to the occupation. Abbas also alleged that Israel was carrying out "state terrorism based on racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing," citing the destruction of homes, settlement expansion, and settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as "severe and unprecedented."

Despite his criticism of Israel, Abbas declared the PA's desire for a demilitarized Palestinian state coexisting with Israel, emphasizing that Palestinians would not accept displacement. He reiterated that the two-state solution is the path to peace and called on the US administration to re-engage in dialogue on the issue. Abbas also appealed to the Trump administration to prevent the displacement of Palestinians and the annexation of territories, warning that Israeli actions endangered the two-state solution.

The US, meanwhile, justified the extended sanctions on Palestinian officials by stating they had failed to meet previous commitments, including those related to international engagement and counter-terrorism efforts.