In a highly charged speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of committing a ‘full-scale war of genocide’ in the Gaza Strip. This accusation, delivered on Thursday, was a stark condemnation of the ongoing conflict, and it came alongside a 12-point vision for the post-war management of Gaza.
Abbas didn’t mince words, accusing Israel of carrying out ‘genocide’ not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, referencing the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He pointedly omitted any mention of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, instead focusing his ire on Israel. He began his speech by chanting three times, ‘We will not leave,’ asserting Palestine’s claim to the land and calling for Israel’s withdrawal. He also demanded an end to the war in Gaza, calling on the international community to cease support for the Israeli campaign. ‘The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people,’ he declared.
Abbas sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejecting his claim that Israel didn’t target civilians in Gaza. ‘I ask you, who is it then that killed more than 15,000 children?’ he challenged. He then turned his attention to the United States, lambasting their support for Israel. He highlighted the US’s three vetoes of Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. ‘This is the United States – the same country that was the only member in the Security Council that voted against granting the State of Palestine full membership in the UN,’ Abbas lamented. ‘I don’t understand how the United States could insist on opposing our people, insist on depriving us of our legitimate rights to freedom and independence, as is the right of the rest of the countries,’ he added. Abbas went further, arguing that Israel, not Palestine, should be excluded from the United Nations, citing Israeli officials’ calls for the organization’s dissolution.
Abbas concluded his speech by outlining a detailed 12-point plan for the post-war management of Gaza, which he termed ‘the day-after plan’. Key components of this plan include:
* A permanent ceasefire in Gaza, ending violence by both Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.
* Unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
* Complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza without the creation of any buffer zones.
* The right of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes, or at least to the areas where they lived before the war.
* Protection and operational freedom for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, within Gaza.
* International protection for Palestinians on their occupied land. ‘We are not fighting Israel. We cannot fight Israel, and we don’t want to fight, but we want protection,’ Abbas stated.
* Palestinian government jurisdiction over the Gaza Strip, including the Rafah Border Crossing and other entry points.
* A comprehensive national reform process within the Palestinian government.
* Recognition of the Palestinian government as the sole representative of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. ‘We will not ask for more, but we will not accept any less,’ Abbas asserted, adding that he’s prepared to hold national elections if Israel allows voting in East Jerusalem.
* Continuation of Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.
* Implementation within a year of the UN General Assembly resolution calling for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
* A regional international peace conference within a year to implement the two-state solution.
* Establishment of international peacekeeping forces to protect the people of both countries.
Abbas emphasized that the 12-point plan is open to review and amendment by the international community.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New York on Thursday, shortly before Abbas’s address. Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver his own address to the General Assembly on Friday.
