Israel has killed and injured over 220,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are unarmed children, women and the elderly.

On Thusday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of committing “a war of genocide” on Gaza, saying these crimes will be recorded in “the pages of international conscience as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

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“I speak to you today after almost two years in which our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip have been facing a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement,” said Abbas while addressing the UN General Assembly via video link.

Genocide has been “waged by the Israeli occupation forces,” in which they killed and injured more than 220,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are unarmed children, women and the elderly, he stressed and condemned the Israeli’s settlement expansion on the West Bank, warning that it threatens the two-state solution.

“We reject and completely deplore” a plan by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a “greater Israel,” Abbas said, while drawing attention to the increasing “terrorism of settlers.”

Meanwhile, “we reject what Hamas carried out on the seventh of October,” said Abbas, noting that such acts do not represent the Palestinian people, nor “their just struggle for freedom and independence.”

He affirmed that the Gaza Strip “is an integral part of the State of Palestine,” and the Palestinian Authority is “ready to bear full responsibility for governance and security there. Hamas will not have a role to play in governance.”

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces advanced further into Gaza City, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state before departing for New York to address the UNGA. Since October 2023, the Zionist forces have killed at least 65,419 Palestinians in Gaza.

Abbas Outlines Postwar Gaza Reconstruction Plan

In his address to the UNGA, Abbas presented a detailed plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip once the war ends. He stressed the need for a complete withdrawal of occupation forces, an end to settler violence, a halt to the confiscation of Palestinian lands and properties, and respect for the status quo of holy sites.

He proposed creating an administrative committee for Gaza, backed by Arab and international support, to manage internal affairs for a specified period. He also called on the international community to protect civilians in Gaza, support Palestinian forces, and ensure that Gazans remain on their land.

The Palestinian Authority president plan also calls for the release of frozen tax funds withheld by Israel and the liberation of people in refugee camps.

Abbas announced his intention to hold elections one year after the end of the Israeli war and to draft a constitution to guide the transition from authority to statehood. He said the constitution would establish a modern democratic system, uphold international law and multilateralism, and advance the empowerment of women and youth.

In addition, the Palestinian Authority president expressed his willingness to work with the United States, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations, and other partners to implement the peace plan approved at the Sept. 22 conference.

Abbas thanked the 149 states that have recognized the State of Palestine and urged others to do the same. He reiterated the aspiration for a sovereign, independent state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, emphasizing: “Peace cannot be achieved without justice, and justice cannot be achieved unless Palestine is free.”

Finally, Abbas called for the release of all hostages and insisted that Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza through multilateral such as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Xinhua – EFE

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