Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on screens as he addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., on September 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Palestinian President, speaking over video after the United States revoked his visa, told world leaders on Thursday (September 25, 2025) that his people “reject” the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that the militant group would have no role in governing Gaza after war ends and must hand over its weapons.
Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly that Palestinians in Gaza “have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement” by Israel. His speech came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to New York to give his own address in person on Friday (September 25, 2025).
Palestinian President on Hamas and Palestinian Authority
Despite laying out in gruesome detail the death and destruction in Gaza, Mr. Abbas said Palestinian authorities “reject” the action Hamas carried out on October 7 and that it does not represent their people.
He also laid out his vision for what government would look like in territories once the war is over, saying that the Palestinian Authority is “ready to bear full responsibility for governance and security. He added that “Hamas will have no role to play in governance,” and will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian authorities.
“There can be no justice if Palestine is not freed,” Mr. Abbas said.
Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to work with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Nations to implement a Gaza peace plan adopted at a September 22 conference, which he said could pave the way for a just peace and broader regional cooperation.
Published – September 25, 2025 07:58 pm IST
