Abbas says Israeli policies now threaten Palestinians’ survival

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations on Thursday, warning that Israeli policies were not only undermining the prospects of a two-state solution but were now directly threatening the lives and existence of Palestinians within their homeland. "The danger is no longer limited to efforts to undermine the two-state solution and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. It now threatens the lives and existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland," Abbas asserted.

He also criticized the United States for denying him a visa to participate in the annual high-level session of the UN General Assembly, labeling the action as punitive. Abbas delivered his remarks instead through a video message shown to delegates in New York. "What is happening in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is not an isolated event, but rather a malicious colonial plan aimed at making life difficult for Palestinians in their homeland and forcing them to leave it," AFP quoted him as saying.

Abbas accused Israel of using settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank to divide the region, isolate East Jerusalem, and hinder the establishment of a Palestinian state. "This requires immediate and responsible intervention by the UN Security Council," he emphasized.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported on Thursday that Gaza was experiencing the most severe economic crisis ever recorded, following Israel's military offensive launched after Hamas' October 2023 attack. This offensive devastated large parts of Gaza, where approximately two million people reside, before a fragile ceasefire was announced in October 2025.

In the West Bank, extremist Jewish settlers have intensified their violence, prompting economic sanctions from Britain, France, and Canada. With 160 countries now recognizing a Palestinian state, Abbas reiterated his demand for urgent and responsible intervention by the UN Security Council. "Today we tell the world that saving the solution begins with preserving the land on which the Palestinian state will be established and protecting the people living on it," he stated.

Abbas also announced that Palestinians were set to hold legislative elections on November 28, followed by the completion of reforms to the Palestinian National Council and presidential elections. In a June 2025 letter to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abbas pledged to conduct the legislative and presidential elections as scheduled.