Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded address to the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2026, warning that Palestinians face the most dangerous period in their history. Abbas spoke from Ramallah after the US denied visas to the Palestinian delegation. He accused Israel of prosecuting a genocidal war in Gaza and expanding illegal settlements in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's military campaign, triggering a mass walkout of UN delegates and protests in New York.
Abbas's warnings on Palestinian survival
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas warned the UN General Assembly to prevent another 1948 Nakba, stating Israeli policies in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem represent a malicious scheme to force Palestinians to leave.
- ▪Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered a prerecorded video address to the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2026, warning that Palestinians face the most dangerous period in their history.
US visa denial to Palestinian delegation
- ▪The United States Department of State denied entry visas to Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority delegation to attend the 2026 UN General Assembly in New York.
- ▪The United States Department of State justified the visa ban by stating that the Palestinian Authority had failed to reform and had violated commitments to seek peace with Israel.
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas rejected the United States visa denial to the Palestinian delegation as an unlawful punitive measure that violates the obligations of the United States as the UN host country
Abbas's proposals for Palestinian governance
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas called for the reunification of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the authority of a democratic, non-militarized State of Palestine living in peace alongside Israel.
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestinian Authority plans to hold legislative elections on November 28, 2026, which would be the first such vote in 20 years.
Dispute over Gaza genocide allegations
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas accused Israeli forces of conducting a genocidal war in the Gaza Strip characterized by killing, destruction, starvation, and attempts at forced displacement.
- ▪Benjamin Netanyahu rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza as the greatest lie of the century, defending Israel's military actions and its West Bank settlers.
Dispute over West Bank settlements
- ▪Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of accelerating settlement expansion, land confiscation, and home demolitions in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed violent West Bank settlers as a handful of about 150 juvenile delinquents and stated he had ordered investigations into their actions.
Protests against Benjamin Netanyahu's UN visit
- ▪New York City police arrested more than 100 demonstrators protesting against Benjamin Netanyahu's presence near the United Nations headquarters on September 24, 2026.
- ▪Dozens of international delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly hall in protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage to deliver his speech.
Palestinian casualties
- ▪Gaza's Health Ministry reported that 73,928 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the conflict began on October 7, 2023.
- ▪The United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported in 2026 that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
Gaza peace plan
- ▪Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated on September 24, 2026, that the group is fully ready to implement the 15-point Gaza peace roadmap agreed with the Board of Peace established under Donald Trump's Gaza plan
- ▪Jared Kushner, who leads the effort to rebuild Gaza, admitted on September 23, 2026, that the Board of Peace has faced delays since its formation.
Debatable claims
- ▪West Bank settler violence is a systemic, state-backed campaign to displace Palestinians
- ▪The US visa ban on the Palestinian Authority delegation is justified
- ▪The Palestinian Authority should govern a unified Gaza and West Bank
- ▪Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide
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