NEW YORK: In a keynote speech today before the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Mahmoud Abbas demanded the suspension of Israel’s membership until it meets its obligations under international law.
President Abbas called for the full implementation of the International Court of Justice’s ruling regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, urging that the occupation be ended within twelve months.
He stressed the urgency of establishing a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, while also demanding a cessation of the ongoing Israeli military attacks and settler violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
He further called for expediting the entry of relief aid in sufficient quantities and without conditions, and its delivery to all areas of the Gaza Strip, affirming that the State of Palestine will exercise its full sovereignty over the Gaza Strip and will undertake its reconstruction after the war comes to an end.
Presid
ent Abbas also called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the rejection of the establishment of buffer zones or the annexation of any part of its lands, and the cessation of forced displacement procedures inside or outside the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced to their areas of residence and the provision of shelter for them.
“The world bears responsibility for the situation of our people in Gaza and the West Bank,” the President stated, noting the daily aggression faced by Palestinians and the ongoing settlement expansion supported by the Israeli government.
He condemned Israel’s actions as a form of collective punishment and called for immediate international accountability for the atrocities committed.
In his speech, President Abbas urged the UN General Assembly to support a resolution that would enable the Palestinian leadership to enter Gaza, facilitating the cessation of hostilities and initiating reconstruction efforts. The President welcomed international allies to
witness the situation in Gaza firsthand and contribute to the peace process.
Expressing gratitude to UN member states for their support of Palestinian rights, he reiterated the determination of the Palestinian people to persevere in their struggle for independence. “We will not leave; Palestine is our homeland and the land of our ancestors,” he declared, emphasizing that the fight for freedom will continue until liberation is achieved.
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Following is the full speech by Mr. President Mahmoud Abbas at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly:
We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave
Palestine is our homeland,
It is the land of our fathers and grandfathers,
And it will remain ours,
And if anyone should leave, they are the usurpers and occupiers
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the United Nations General Assembly
Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Ladies and gentlemen,
heads and members of delegations
Distinguished audience
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you
I come to you today while my people have been subjected for almost a year and still are, to one of the most heinous crimes of the era, a comprehensive war crime and genocide carried out by Israel, the occupying state, a crime that has claimed so far the lives of more than 40,000 martyrs, and thousands are still under the rubble, while more than 100,000 others have been wounded, and hundreds have been wiped out Entire Palestinian families were erased from the civil registry, thousands lost their lives due to the spread of diseases and epidemics and the lack of medicine and water, in addition to more than two million Palestinians who were displaced from their homes many times in search of safety from the systematic killings carried out by the Israeli occupation army. As the aggressive war continues, dozens are still being killed every day, and many times more of our afflicted people in the Gaza Strip, the We
st Bank and Jerusalem are being wounded.
I am not here to respond to the lies of the Israeli Prime Minister, in his speech before the US Congress last July, when he claimed that his army does not kill innocent civilians in Gaza. For God’s sake, who is it who killed more than 15,000 children and the same number of women and elderly from our people and is still killing? Answer me!
Stop this crime, stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the war of extermination. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world bears responsibility for what is happening to our people in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank, which is being subjected to continuous daily Israeli aggression, a fierce and barbaric settlement campaign, and terrorism by settler gangs sponsored and supported by the Israeli government and the occupation army, which is demolishing hundreds of homes in the land of the State of Palestine, in addition to what Jerusalem, our eternal capital, is being subjected to, from
Judaization campaigns and aggression against the city, its holy sites and landmarks, in order to change the historical and legal status there.
Recently, an extremist terrorist Israeli minister came out calling for the construction of a synagogue in Al-Aqsa Mosque. This reckless minister and his ilk who want to ignite a religious war that will burn everything must be condemned and stopped. Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, ladies and gentlemen, are the exclusive property of Muslims, and this was approved by the League of Nations in 1930, and we will not accept anything else, no matter the circumstances.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have repeatedly warned before your esteemed assembly that the situation in the occupied State of Palestine threatens to explode, and this explosion occurred on October 7 of last year and thereafter.
Since the first day, I have stood up and stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the war, and I have also stressed our rejection of targeting civilians, whoever they may be, a
nd I have demanded the release of hostages and prisoners from both sides, and to sit down immediately at the negotiating table to implement the two-state solution based on international legitimacy resolutions.
Instead of listening to the voice of reason, the Israeli government exploited what happened to launch a comprehensive war of genocide on the Gaza Strip, and committed and continues to commit war crimes recognized by the international community. Today, Israel is launching another aggression against the brotherly Lebanese people, and we condemn this aggression and demand that it be stopped immediately.
Israel has reoccupied the entire Gaza Strip, and almost completely destroyed it, making it an uninhabitable place, after most of the homes, buildings, health and educational facilities, economic facilities, roads, churches, mosques, water and electricity stations, wastewater treatment plants, and others were destroyed. If Israel thinks that it will escape accountability and punishment for these crimes, it
is delusional. The international community must immediately begin imposing sanctions on it. The massacres, crimes, and genocide that Israel has committed against our people since its establishment until today will not pass without accountability, and will not be forgotten, because no right is lost if there is a claimant.
Despite our repeated and urgent demands, the world has not succeeded in forcing Israel, the rogue state, to stop its genocidal war and war crimes against innocent civilians. We regret that the US administration has vetoed three Security Council resolutions calling on Israel to cease fire, and on top of that, it has provided it with deadly weapons that have killed thousands of innocent children, women and elderly people, which has encouraged Israel to continue its aggression.
This is the same United States that was the only member of the UN Security Council that voted against granting the State of Palestine full membership in the United Nations. I do not understand how the United States insi
sts on standing against our people and insists on depriving them of their legitimate rights to freedom and independence.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Israel, which refuses to implement the UN resolutions, is not worthy of membership in this international organization, and Israel, whose representative in this international organization says that this UN building, in which we are now, should be removed from the ground, does not deserve to be a member of your organization, and it has not met the conditions for this membership from the beginning. It had to implement General Assembly Resolutions 181 and 194 as a condition for accepting its membership and pledged to do so in writing but did not. Therefore, I call upon your esteemed Assembly to suspend Israel’s membership in the General Assembly until it fulfills its obligations and the conditions for accepting its membership, and implements all the resolutions of the United Nations and its bodies. We will submit a request to the President of the United Nations General A
ssembly in this regard. I take this opportunity today to commend the member states of the United Nations, which voted by a majority of more than two-thirds in favor of the draft resolution submitted by the State of Palestine, supported by a large number of friendly and sisterly countries, to adopt the historic advisory opinion issued on 19/7/2024 by the International Court of Justice to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine within twelve months, including the immediate cessation of annexation and settlement activities, the dismantling of existing settlements, the removal of settlers from the Palestinian territories, the return of lands and resources confiscated since 1967, redress and compensation for the damages inflicted on the Palestinians as a result of the illegal policies and practices of the occupation, and many other issues mentioned in the Court’s advisory opinion, and obligating Israel to implement. We count greatly on this decision, which embodies the international will and p
rinciples of international law and on the mechanisms adopted in this regard to ensure implementation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, I also feel grateful as I see this great shift in the positions of the member states of the United Nations, as they support the Palestinian right to obtain an independent state and recognize it, and grant it full membership in this international organization, like the rest of the peoples of the world who yearn for freedom and love peace. On behalf of the Palestinian people, I thank you for these positions in support of truth and justice to achieve peace in our region, and I call on you to implement the provisions of international law, each according to his responsibilities and sovereignty.
I also feel grateful and appreciative for the protests opposing the war of extermination on Gaza, and supporting the Palestinian right, which have taken place and are taking place all over the world, including the United States of America and European countries, and for the honorable solidari
ty activists who come to Palestine risking their lives. In this context, I offer my condolences to the martyred Turkish-American citizen, Aisha Nour, who was killed in cold blood by the occupation army. And I say to them, the Palestinian people will not forget your honorable positions, and we will remember you with pride and honor on the day when the occupation ends and our people gain freedom and independence.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Recently, there has been much talk about the day after the end of the war in the Gaza Strip. I seize the opportunity today to present to you our vision of what needs to be done immediately and for the day after the war:
First: A comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and the military attacks and terrorist settler attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Second: The urgent and regular entry of relief aid in sufficient quantities and without conditions, and its delivery to all areas of the Gaza Strip.
Third: The complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza St
rip, and the rejection of the establishment of buffer zones or the annexation of any part of its lands, and the cessation of forced displacement procedures inside or outside the Gaza Strip, and the return of the displaced to their areas of residence and the provision of shelter for them.
Fourth: Protecting UNRWA and humanitarian organizations from Israeli arbitrariness and providing political and material support to them so that they can perform their role and provide their services to Palestinian refugees until they return to their homes.
Fifth: Providing international protection to Palestinians on the land of their occupied state.
Sixth: The State of Palestine assumes its responsibilities in the Strip to exercise its full jurisdiction over it, including the border crossings, most notably the Rafah International Crossing between Egypt and Palestine, as part of a comprehensive plan.
Seventh: Within the framework of the comprehensive national reform process, we are rebuilding the infrastructure and state i
nstitutions that were destroyed by Israel, reviving the economy, sustainable development, and rebuilding the Gaza Strip, and holding the occupying state responsible for that.
Eighth: Extending the authority of the State of Palestine, the Palestinian government, and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, over all Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, in preparation for holding general presidential and legislative elections there, and forming a Palestinian government, according to the results of these elections.
Ninth: Continuing to mobilize the greatest international support in order for the State of Palestine to obtain full membership in the United Nations as soon as possible.
Tenth: Full implementation of the General Assembly resolution on the legal advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, leading to the end of the occupation within twelve months, as stated in the advisory opinion.
Elevent
h: Holding an international peace conference under the supervision of the United Nations within a year to implement the two-state solution, and embodying the independence of the Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of Palestinian refugees, on the basis of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Twelfth: Adopting international peacekeeping forces by a Security Council resolution between the State of Palestine and Israel, to ensure the security of the two states.
These are the elements of our vision for today and the day after the war in the land of the State of Palestine in general. I appeal to you to adopt this plan and provide all the necessary capabilities to make it a success.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I announced several weeks ago that I had decided to head the Palestinian leadership to the Gaza Strip, to be with our people who have been exhausted by the Israeli genocidal war. I appeal to you to
support our decision by issuing a UN resolution in this regard and to pressure the occupation government not to obstruct our endeavors. I welcome all of you who wish to join us in going to steadfast and patient Gaza to witness the crime committed against it and to contribute to achieving peace and stability.
A salute of reverence and respect to our heroic people who are sacrificing everything precious and valuable for the sake of Palestine, in sacrificing Gaza, the steadfast West Bank, Jerusalem the jewel in the crown and the capital of the state, and our people in refugee camps and diaspora, and to our valiant prisoners in Israeli prisons, who are today subjected to a blatant violation of their human dignity.
Palestine will be free, and our people will continue their lives in the land of their fathers and grandfathers as they have done for more than six thousand years, and will continue their legitimate struggle for independence, and the occupation will inevitably come to an end.
Long live free and proud
Palestine
And peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA
