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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on Hamas to immediately surrender its weapons and step aside from any role in governing Gaza, while also simultaneously criticizing Israel for committing what he described as war crimes in Gaza.
Comments related to Hamas: While addressing the UN virtually, President Abbas made it clear that Hamas has no place in the future governance of Gaza. He said, “Hamas will not have a role to play in governance. Hamas and the other factions will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian National Authority as part of a process to build the institutions of one state, one law and one legal security forces.” Emphasizing the PA’s readiness to assume full responsibility, Abbas stressed that Palestinians do not want “an armed state,” but instead a unified authority under civilian and legal control.
Abbas also directly condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, rejecting its legitimacy as part of the Palestinian struggle. He said, “Despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the 7th of October, these actions that targeted Israeli civilians, and took them hostage.” He stressed that such actions “do not represent the Palestinian people, nor do they represent their just struggle for freedom and independence.”
Criticism of Israel: Abbas also took aim at Israel during his speech, accusing the Israeli government of committing grave violations against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. He argued that Israel’s military campaign went beyond self-defense, describing it as “a war of genocide, destruction, starvation, and displacement.”
He warned that the world was witnessing one of the darkest humanitarian tragedies in modern history, saying, “What Israel is carrying out is not merely an aggression. It is a war crime and a crime against humanity that is both documented and monitored. It will be recorded in history books and the pages of international conscience as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries.”
In response to his speech, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized Abbas, saying he “sells pretty words” and was not being genuine. He added, “Israel will not be deceived again.”
