'Will remain rooted like olive trees, not leave our lands', says Palestinian President Abbas at UNGA
The UN General Assembly voted last week to allow him to address the gathering via video after the United States said it would not give him a visa to travel to New York.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinians will remain rooted like the olive trees, firm as the rocks, and they will not leave their lands.
"Our people will remain rooted like the olive trees, firm as the rocks. We will rise from under the rubble to rebuild," he said while addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) virtually today (25 September).
"Palestine is ours. Jerusalem is the jewel of our heart and our eternal capital. We will not leave our homeland. We will not leave our lands," he said, according to a translation provided by the UN.
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The UN General Assembly voted last week to allow him to address the gathering via video after the United States said it would not give him a visa to travel to New York.
Under a 1947 UN "headquarters agreement", the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. However, Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
'Our people will not forget'
"We urge all the states that have not done so yet to recognise the State of Palestine. We call on supporting Palestine obtaining a full membership in the United Nations," Abbas said.
"We would like to thank France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Denmark for their recognition of the State of Palestine. We would like to thank all 149 states which had previously recognised the State of Palestine. Our people will not forget this noble position."
"We highly appreciate all the peoples and organisations around the world who protested in support of the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence, and to stop the war, destruction and starvation."
"We reject confusing the solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the issue of anti-Semitism, which is something that we reject based on our values and principles," he added.
'Ready to work' with Trump, Saudis and others
"We declare that we are ready to work with US President Donald Trump and with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France and the United Nations and all partners to implement the peace plan ... in a way that would lead towards a just peace and regional cooperation," Abbas said.
The 193-member UN General Assembly earlier this month overwhelmingly endorsed a seven-page declaration that aims to advance a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants.
Israel's actions a 'war crime'
Abbas further said 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, and it will be recorded in history books and the pages of international conscious as one of the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries.
"Despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the 7th of October," Abbas said.
"Hamas will not have a role to play in governance. Hamas and other factions will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian National Authority."
