Embassy of the State of Palestine

H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas to UN General Assembly: We will not leave.

• We demand the suspension of Israel's membership in the United Nations.
• We call for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupation's attacks and those of its settlers in the West Bank.
• The State of Palestine will exercise its full sovereignty over the Gaza Strip and will undertake its reconstruction.
• The massacres and crimes committed by Israel will not go unaccounted for and will not be forgotten over time.
• We will not leave; Palestine is our homeland and the land of our ancestors. The occupation will come to an end.

UN HQ - NEW YORK, September 26, 2024 - In a keynote speech today before the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas demanded the suspension of Israel's membership until it meets its obligations under international law, stressing that the Palestinian people will not leave their homeland – the land of their ancestors.

“Palestine will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it will be the occupying usurpers,” he declared.

He began by highlighting that Palestinians have endured nearly a year of what he described as one of the most heinous crimes of our time.

“It is the crime of a full-scale war of genocide that Israel is perpetrating. A crime that has killed more than 40,000 martyrs in Gaza alone, and thousands remain under the rubble. A crime that has injured more than 100,000 injured to this day.”

He pointed out that whole Palestinian families have been annihilated, their family names completely erased. He also stressed that amid the onslaught, diseases are spreading, clean water and vital medicines are in scarce supply, and over two million Palestinians have been displaced, many forced to flee multiple times in search of safety.

The deaths and injuries continue unabated, not only in Gaza but in the West Bank and in Jerusalem.

President Abbas underscored that he was not speaking today “to respond to the lies” of the Israeli Prime Minister, who claimed before the US Congress in July that Israeli forces did not kill innocent civilians in Gaza.

“I ask you, who is it then that killed more than 15,000 children of the 40,000 and an equal number of women and elderly persons. And who is it then that is continuing to kill them, I ask you?”

Further in his address, President Abbas outlined a 12-point “day-after” proposal, for when the war in Gaza has ended.

It called for, among other points, a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to military and settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip—without buffer zones or annexations of any kind.

He emphasized the need for regular, sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza, an end to forced displacement throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, and stronger protection and support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other humanitarian organizations to ensure they can continue delivering services to Palestinians.

President Abbas urged the UNGA to support a resolution that would enable Palestinian leadership to enter Gaza, facilitating the cessation of hostilities and initiating reconstruction efforts. The President welcomed international allies to accompany them and witness the crimes that Israel is committing in Gaza firsthand, and contribute to the peace process.

He also called for international protection for Palestinians in the occupied territories, stating, “we cannot fight Israel, and we don’t want to fight, we want protection,” he said, adding that the State of Palestine must assume responsibility in Gaza and exercise jurisdiction over the region, including control of border checkpoints.

“This is our proposal to you, you can accept it, amend it or change it, we are ready for all that.”

Concluding his address, Mr. Abbas said that “while we recognize the State of Israel, Israel does not recognize us”.

“We want a solution that will protect both countries – the State of Palestine and the State of Israel – so they can co-exist in peace, stability and security.”

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Video of Speech  |   Full Statement (in Arabic)   |    Unofficial English Translation of Statement:

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.

If anyone is to leave, it is 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 this era: a comprehensive war crime and genocide carried out by Israel, the occupying state. This crime has so far claimed the lives of more than 40,000 martyrs, and thousands remain under the rubble. More than 100,000 others have been wounded. Hundreds of entire Palestinian families have been wiped out and erased from the civil registry. 

Thousands have 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 have been 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 West 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 warned repeatedly before your esteemed assembly that the situation in the occupied State of Palestine is on the brink of explosion. 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, and 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 reason, the Israeli government exploited what happened in order to launch a comprehensive war of genocide on the Gaza Strip, and has 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 strongly 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 insists 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 resolutions of the United Nations, is not worthy of retaining its membership in this international organization. Israel, whose representative in this international organization said that this UN building we are in now should be demolished, does not deserve to be a member of your organization. From the beginning, it has not met the conditions for gaining this membership. Israel had to implement General Assembly Resolutions 181 and 194 as a condition for this membership - it committed to do this in writing, but did not do so. 

Therefore, I call upon your esteemed Assembly to suspend Israel’s membership in the General Assembly until it fulfills its obligations and the conditions of its membership, and implements all United Nations resolutions and its charter. We will submit a request to the President of the United Nations General Assembly in this regard.

I seize 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 brotherly 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. This includes the immediate cessation of annexation and settlement activities, the dismantling of existing settlements, the removal of settlers from Palestinian territories, the return of lands and resources confiscated since 1967 to their rightful Palestinian owners, reparations and compensation for the damages inflicted on the Palestinians due to the illegal policies and practices of the occupation since 1967, and many other issues mentioned in the Court’s advisory opinion, which it obliges Israel to implement. We place great reliance on this decision, which embodies the international will, principles of international law, and the mechanisms adopted to ensure its implementation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, I also feel deep gratitude as I see this significant shift in the positions of member states of the United Nations in support of the Palestinian right to achieve an independent state, recognition of it, and granting it full membership in this international organization, alongside 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, peace, and justice being achieved in our region. I call on you to implement the provisions of international law, each according to his responsibilities and sovereignty.

I also feel gratitude and appreciation for the protests opposing the war of extermination on Gaza, and in support of Palestinian rights, which have taken place and continue to take place all over the world, including in the United States of America and European countries, and for the honorable solidarity activists who risk their lives to come to Palestine. In this context, I offer my condolences for the martyred Turkish-American activist, Ayşenur, who was killed in cold blood by the occupation army.

To these people, I say: the Palestinian people will never forget your honorable stances. We will remember you with pride and dignity every day until the occupation ends and our people attain 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 this opportunity today to present to you our vision of what needs to be done immediately and for the days after the war:

First: A comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and an end to military aggressions and terrorist settler attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Second: The urgent and systematic entry of humanitarian aid in sufficient quantities and without conditions, ensuring its delivery to all areas of the Gaza Strip.

Third: The complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the rejection of the establishment of buffer zones or the annexation of any part of its lands, the cessation of forced displacement procedures inside or outside the Gaza Strip, and the return of those displaced to their areas of residence and the provision of shelter for them.

Fourth: The protection of UNRWA and humanitarian organizations from Israeli harassment, and the provision of political and material support to enable them to perform their role in providing services to Palestinian refugees until they return to their homes.

Fifth: The provision of international protection for Palestinians on the land of their occupied state.

Sixth: The State of Palestine assuming its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip to exercise its full authority over it, including the border crossings, foremost of which is 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 will rebuild the infrastructure and state institutions destroyed by Israel, reviving the economy, promoting sustainable development, 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 therein, and forming a Palestinian government according to the results of these elections.

Ninth: Continuing to mobilize greater international support 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 regarding the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, leading to the end of the occupation within no more than twelve months.

Eleventh: Holding an international peace conference under the supervision of the United Nations within one year to implement the two-state solution and realize 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: The deployment of international peacekeeping forces by a Security Council resolution between the State of Palestine and Israel to ensure the security of both states.

These are the elements of our vision for the day after the end of the war on the land of the State of Palestine in its entirety. I appeal to you to adopt this plan and provide all the necessary means for its achievement.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I announced several weeks ago that I have decided to lead the Palestinian leadership to the Gaza Strip, to be with our people who have been exhausted by the Israeli war of extermination. I urge you to support this decision by issuing a UN resolution in this regard and to pressure the occupation government not to obstruct our endeavors. I welcome any of you who wish to join us in going to steadfast and patient Gaza, to witness firsthand the crime that is being committed against it, and to contribute to achieving peace and stability.

A salute of reverence and respect to our heroic people, who are offering everything precious for the sake of Palestine, in resilient Gaza, in the steadfast West Bank, in East Jerusalem - the crown jewel and the capital of the state, to our people in the refugee camps and diaspora, and to our valiant prisoners in Israeli prisons who are today enduring brutal, blatant violations of their human dignity.

Palestine will be free. Our people will continue living on the land of their forefathers and ancestors, as they have done for more than six thousand years. They will continue their legitimate struggle for independence, and the occupation will inevitably come to an end.

Long live Palestine, free and proud

And peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you

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