Palestinian President Calls for Accelerating Implementation of Phase Two of US President's Plan for Gaza
Ramallah, Sept. 24 (KUNA) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Thursday for the accelerated implementation of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, stressing that it must lead to the reunification of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the authority of the State of Palestine and its legitimate institutions, in accordance with the principles of one state, one government, one law, and one legitimate arsenal.
In a recorded address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, broadcast by Palestinian Television, Abbas stated that the danger no longer extends merely to undermining the two-state solution and preventing the realization of a Palestinian state, but has come to threaten the lives and existence of the Palestinian people on their homeland’s soil, emphasizing the need for international measures to halt it.
He affirmed that what is happening in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is not a series of isolated incidents, but rather part of a sinister colonial plan aimed at making life more difficult for Palestinians on their homeland and forcing them into displacement.
Warning, he said, “Do not allow another Nakba and massacres like those that occurred in 1948. Do not allow protected terrorist gangs, backed by the Israeli occupation forces, to burn Palestinian homes while their inhabitants sleep inside. Do not allow our children to live under fear and threat.” He added, “I ask you again: how long will some countries remain silent on Israel or continue to supply it with the weapons it uses against our people?”
Abbas appealed to all states and international and regional organizations to continue supporting the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to stop the attacks against it. He warned of the grave danger posed by the implementation of the settlement plan (E1), which aims to sever the northern West Bank from the southern part, isolate the city of Jerusalem, and prevent the realization of a state.
Regarding the prevention of the Palestinian delegation from obtaining entry visas and participating in person in the General Assembly meetings, Abbas stated, “We reject these illegal punitive measures and we reject the accusations and justifications on which they are based.”
He affirmed that the Palestinian Authority has fulfilled its obligations, completed a comprehensive national reform program, and continued its commitment to international law, “the rejection of violence and terrorism,” and the two-state solution and peace based on international legitimacy.
He stressed that it is not permissible to punish the Palestinian people and their leadership for demanding an end to the occupation or for resorting to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court.
He called on the US administration to retract the sanctions and restrictions, return to a language of dialogue and mutual respect, and work toward implementing the two-state solution based on international legitimacy and achieving peace.
The US Department of State had announced in a statement on the 16th of this month the extension of sanctions prohibiting the issuance of entry visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials of the Palestinian Authority, thereby preventing their participation in the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.
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