Abbas accuses Israel of waging ‘genocidal war’ in Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared on Thursday that his people were confronting "one of the most dangerous phases in their history" in a pre-recorded speech to the United Nations, as the Palestinian delegation was denied entry to the US. At the UN General Assembly's annual debate, Abbas lashed out at Israel, accusing it of waging a "genocidal war" in the Gaza Strip and fragmenting the occupied West Bank through settlement expansion.

He warned that "settler terrorism" was on the rise, and that Israel's actions now threatened not only the two-state solution but the very existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland. Abbas called for the implementation of the US's Gaza peace plan, which he said had been unveiled the previous year. However, like last year, Abbas's speech was prerecorded and broadcast on video as the Palestinian delegation was barred from attending the meeting of world leaders due to US visa denials.

The UN session also saw several meetings planned on the sidelines to discuss the future administration of the Gaza Strip, which has been severely damaged in the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. While some Western countries, like France, Britain, and Canada, recognized a Palestinian state last year, this has not yet led to tangible progress for Palestinians on the ground.