RAMALLAH, April 23, 2025 (WAFA) – President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas said, "We face grave dangers that are closer to a new Nakba that threatens our existence and portends the liquidation of our entire national cause," adding that this is in implementation of the plans of those who created Palestinian people's first Nakba, leading up to the Nakba of 1967, and then the Nakba of the sinful 'coup' of 2007, which our enemy used to tear apart our national fabric and prevent the establishment of our independent state."
In his speech at the opening of the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council, held in the Ahmed Shuqairy Hall at the Presidential Headquarters in Ramallah on Wednesday afternoon, the President affirmed that "our efforts in various fields and at various levels—Arab, Islamic, and international—are focused on achieving four national priorities that represent the necessities of the current moment, in the face of the challenges facing our people and our cause."
In this regard, he emphasized that halting the Israeli war of extermination against the Gaza Strip, the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the territory of the Gaza Strip, the cessation of repeated Israeli attacks on cities, villages, and camps in the West Bank, and the prevention of violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, Hebron, and all Palestinian areas are among the priorities "we are working to achieve."
President Abbas emphasized that the goal of the "organized terrorism" practiced by Israeli in the West Bank governorates is the same as its goal of the aggression against the Gaza Strip, that is, to liquidate the Palestinian national cause as a political issue for a people struggling for their freedom and national independence, and to impose its colonial dictates and policies on our people through brutal force of aggression.
He pointed out that "the situation in Jerusalem, our eternal and sacred capital, is no different from the rest of the Palestinian homeland. The occupying state is attempting to impose a fait accompli on our people through a tight siege of the city, the destruction of Palestinian homes and facilities, the prevention of worshippers from reaching holy sites, and the fight against the Palestinian presence and identity through all means of aggression and terrorism."
The President emphasized that Israel, with this barbaric aggression, is violating international law and legitimacy, acting as if it is above the law, reneging on the agreements it signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization, and unleashing extremism and terrorism, which have become the dominant feature of its policies toward Palestinian people. It is also besieging our people financially by stealing Palestinian clearance revenues, which have so far exceeded $2 billion, and seizing citizens' lands and property.
He said: "Our vision for achieving a just and comprehensive peace and ensuring security and stability in Palestine and the region requires a political horizon based on ending the Israeli occupation and implementing international legitimacy resolutions, including the establishment of an independent, sovereign, contiguous, viable, and recognized Palestinian state, a full member of the United Nations, living in peace and security alongside Israel."
Below is the text of the President's address to the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Brothers and sisters, members of the Central Council,
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Allah Almighty said:
"And had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you. So pardon them, ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in matters. Then when you have decided, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him."
— Truthful is Allah the Almighty.
We meet today under the banner of a united Palestine — the banner of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. We gather at a critical and historic moment, facing immense dangers that resemble a new catastrophe threatening our very existence and signaling the liquidation of our entire national cause. These threats are the continuation of the plans of those who engineered the first Nakba of our people — from the Balfour Declaration in 1917, to the uprooting of more than half of the Palestinian people from their historical homeland during the Nakba of 1948, followed by the Nakba of 1967, and later the calamity of the treacherous "coup" of 2007. That coup was exploited by our enemy to tear apart our national fabric and obstruct the establishment of our independent state.
In the Gaza Strip, our people are today enduring a genocidal war that has cost us more than 200,000 citizens either martyred or wounded so far. Despite the enormity of this loss, it is neither right nor just to see them merely as numbers. Never, brothers and sisters — these martyrs and wounded are not mere statistics to be counted by the media or in reports. They can never be regarded as just "tactical losses" as claimed by those who orchestrated the Nakba of the "coup" in service of the occupation and all enemies of our people. These same people then fabricated pretexts to allow the occupation to continue its diabolical plot of destroying Gaza and displacing its people.
Two hundred thousand human beings — each one, whether child, woman, or man, represents a strategic loss to Palestine. Every life lost is a loss of the real strategic reservoir for the future of our beloved homeland, Palestine.
2,165 families were completely wiped out and no longer exist.
6,664 families were partially exterminated, losing most of their members.
Are these just tactical losses? What is wrong with you? How do you judge? Do you not comprehend? The loss of even one of our children is a tragedy for us — so what about the loss of all these victims?
Two hundred thousand martyrs and wounded — including more than 3,500 elderly, over 12,500 women, and more than 18,000 children. Moreover, over 11,000 are missing, around 4,700 of whom are children. Approximately 40,000 children have lost one or both parents and become orphans. And this is not all — more than two-thirds of the homes, institutions, and public and private facilities in the afflicted Gaza Strip have been destroyed: from mosques and churches to schools, universities, kindergartens, hospitals, organizations, and infrastructure. This has been accompanied by frenzied Israeli efforts to erase Palestinian presence in the beloved Strip through forced displacement and ethnic cleansing.
In the West Bank, the brutal Israeli aggression continues against our people and our land — against camps, villages, and cities; against stones, trees, and people. We continue to lose more martyrs, wounded, and prisoners. Since October 7th, nearly 1,000 martyrs have fallen in the West Bank, including 188 children. Our areas face daily destruction. In Jenin refugee camp, Israeli forces have destroyed and burned more than 600 buildings entirely or partially, and more than 21,000 citizens have been forcibly displaced to other parts of the governorate.
In the Tulkarm refugee camps, 2,573 homes have been destroyed — totally or partially — and around 24,000 people were forced to flee.
Israeli forces have fragmented the West Bank, cutting its parts off from one another, preventing freedom of movement for people and goods through the erection of nearly 900 military checkpoints and the apartheid wall. The cancer of settlement and settler terrorism spreads daily across all areas of Jerusalem and the West Bank. The goal of this “organized terror” is the same as the goal of the aggression on Gaza: to liquidate the Palestinian national cause as a political issue of a people fighting for freedom and national independence, and to forcibly impose the occupation’s colonial policies on our people through sheer, brutal aggression.
The situation in Jerusalem — our eternal, sacred capital — is no different from the rest of the Palestinian homeland. The occupying state tries to enforce a fait accompli policy on our people through a tight siege of the city, demolishing Palestinian homes and institutions, preventing worshippers from accessing holy sites, and combating Palestinian presence and identity by every means of aggression and terror. This includes attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites — both Islamic and Christian — especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is an inseparable part of our religious faith, national identity, and our existence stretching back thousands of years on the land of our historical homeland, Palestine. Al-Aqsa is now facing the most horrific conspiracy from the occupation, as incitement continues to destroy it and build a Jewish temple in its place.
It is important to note that the occupation’s violations of holy places in Jerusalem are not limited to Islamic sites — they also target Christian holy sites and clergy. Nor are these violations confined to Jerusalem alone. The city of Hebron also suffers, with continued aggression on the sacred Ibrahimi Mosque, including attempts to alter its historic architectural character, preventing worshippers from accessing it freely, and banning the call to prayer multiple times each month.
The occupying state, through this barbaric aggression, is violating international law and international legitimacy, acting as though it is above the law. It disavows the agreements it signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization and unleashes extremism and terrorism, which have become the prevailing traits of its policies toward our people. It imposes a financial siege on our people by stealing Palestinian clearance funds, which now exceed two billion dollars, held by the occupying state. It seizes citizens’ lands and properties and repeatedly declares its rejection of a Palestinian state based on international legitimacy. It works to achieve this goal by separating the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian territory approved by the United Nations — whether through political and financial support for that separation, or through military aggression, genocide, and war crimes committed in Gaza, in addition to the displacement schemes it seeks to implement.
Sisters and brothers,
In the face of all these challenges confronting our people and our cause, we, along with our steadfast and noble people on their historical homeland — firmly holding to their legitimate rights — have taken action on all fronts and at every level: Arab, Islamic, and international. Our movement and efforts have focused on achieving four key priorities, which represent the necessities of this moment:
First Priority:
To stop the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and secure the complete withdrawal of occupation forces from the territory. Also, to halt repeated Israeli attacks on our cities, villages, and refugee camps in the West Bank, and to prevent violations of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, Hebron, and all Palestinian areas.
Second Priority:
To lift the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, ensuring the flow of essential needs to the population, including food, water, medicine, fuel, electricity, and emergency shelter supplies. This includes opening roads and working to restore public services, paving the way for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damages caused by the aggression.
Third Priority:
To resist and prevent the forced displacement of our people from Gaza, coordinating this stance with the Arab-Islamic bloc and the international community — especially with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We salute their firm, decisive, and honorable stance in rejecting the conspiracy of displacement and in supporting and protecting the Palestinian people's presence in their homeland. All greetings to Egypt and my brother, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and to Jordan and my brother, His Majesty King Abdullah II.
Fourth Priority:
To safeguard the Palestinian cause as the cause of a people seeking to liberate their occupied homeland and exercise their national rights within the framework of international legitimacy. This means implementing a political solution that ends the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and achieves global recognition of this state in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions.
To achieve these four national priorities, we have, as mentioned, moved on all fronts — in the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, with the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, as well as the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We have reached out to every country, international group, and regional organization possible. Our main concern has been to realize these priorities that protect our people, safeguard our national cause, end the aggression and occupation, and secure a just and comprehensive peace for all, without exception.
It is worth noting that we have obtained around a thousand resolutions from the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Human Rights Council. Sadly, none have been implemented. Why? Because major powers — foremost among them the United States of America — disregard international law and insist on continuing a policy of double standards when it comes to the rights of the Palestinian people. Nonetheless, we will continue this struggle. The world has a duty to stand with us until we obtain our legitimate rights — whether others like it or not.
Sisters and brothers,
Our vision for achieving a just and comprehensive peace and ensuring security and stability in Palestine and the region — a vision we have presented to all concerned states and parties, including the United States, the Russian Federation, China, and the European Union, as well as the Arab and Islamic groups — is based on the necessity of creating the right conditions. This includes ending the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine and building independent, sovereign Palestinian state institutions in accordance with international resolutions, in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem — our eternal capital.
This also includes the Palestinian National Authority taking full responsibility in the Gaza Strip, as it does in the West Bank and Jerusalem — covering all security and political responsibilities — based on the unity of law, unity of institutions, unity of legitimate arms, and unity of political decision-making. This necessarily means that Hamas must end its control of the Gaza Strip, hand over all its affairs to the Palestinian National Authority, surrender its weapons, and transform into a political party that operates in accordance with the laws of the Palestinian state and adheres to both international and national legitimacy, as represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Undoubtedly, implementing this comprehensive vision — which has now become an Arab-Islamic vision by decision of the recent emergency Arab summit held in Cairo, based on the Egyptian-Palestinian plan presented at that summit — requires meeting the following conditions:
First:
The existence of a political horizon based on ending the Israeli occupation and implementing international legitimacy resolutions, including the establishment of a sovereign, independent, contiguous, and viable Palestinian state recognized as a full member of the United Nations, living in security and peace alongside Israel.
Second:
The full withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip and the establishment of clear and sustainable mechanisms for the flow of essential needs and reconstruction materials into Gaza, along with the release of prisoners, hostages, and detainees.
Third:
The cessation of all Israeli military operations in the West Bank, the end of settlement activity and settler attacks, a halt to the violation of holy sites in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the establishment of a comprehensive truce in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. This must include confidence-building steps and the creation of an environment conducive to launching a serious political process leading to a just and comprehensive peace based on the principles and resolutions of international legitimacy.
Fourth:
Adoption of a comprehensive recovery and reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, based on the principle of "reconstruction without displacement." This principle was already approved in the most recent emergency Arab summit in Cairo and requires international cooperation and partnership to implement.
In this context, we are already working with our brothers in Egypt and with the United Nations to organize an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza. This conference will include the participation of friendly and sister nations, along with various international organizations.
Sisters and brothers,
Our success in confronting all the aforementioned challenges undoubtedly requires internal Palestinian reconciliation built on inclusive national principles:
- Commitment to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of our people, and adherence to its political and struggle program as well as its international obligations.
- Commitment to international legitimacy and its resolutions.
- Commitment to the principle of a unified Palestinian political system, unified legal authority, a single legitimate armed force, and a single sovereign national decision, alongside peaceful popular resistance.
And to be frank with you — to set the record straight on our internal national affairs — I must say this clearly before you: Since Hamas’s coup against Palestinian national legitimacy in 2007, and its continuous efforts since then to separate Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem, through six devastating wars — and without absolving the occupation of responsibility — Hamas has gravely harmed the Palestinian cause. It has offered serious, often unintended, free services to the criminal occupation, providing pretexts for Israel to carry out its conspiracies and crimes in Gaza, notably the hostage situation.
Hamas has done similar things in the West Bank, albeit in different ways. The consequences of all these actions have brought us to the current state of aggression, destruction, and a blocked future for our people. Thus, Hamas is now obligated — before us and our people — to end its takeover of governance and authority in Gaza entirely, and to hand it over to the PLO and the legitimate Palestinian National Authority, in order to protect our people's blood, interests, and future.
One cannot be trusted with our people’s future if he sees himself as separate from his people, saying things like "we and them" when referring to the people of Gaza. One cannot be trusted with our people’s interests if he considers our martyrs and wounded just "tactical losses." One cannot be trusted if he says “Hamas money is Hamas’s and not for the people,” while collecting donations in the name of the Palestinian people only to deposit them into private accounts.
I have directed members of the Executive Committee to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue with all factions and forces — without exception — in order to preserve our national unity under the umbrella of the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of our people, and based on commitment to its charter, political program, and all its obligations.
Brothers and sisters,
Since the early days of our blessed revolution, we have been committed to building strong relationships with our brothers in Arab and Islamic countries — relationships founded on mutual respect and trust, and safeguarded by non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. We remain committed to these principles, firmly believing that our Arab and Islamic brothers are our strategic depth, our true supporters and defenders in our national struggle.
In this regard, I affirm the following principles and guidelines that govern our relationships with the Arab and Islamic nations:
- Strengthening our ties with the Arab and Islamic world based on mutual respect and appreciation for their long-standing support of our cause.
- Commitment to the Charter of the Arab League and its various bodies, as well as to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, recognizing the important role each has played in supporting our national struggle for freedom, independence, and statehood.
- Working with sister states, particularly those hosting Palestinian refugees or large Palestinian communities, to alleviate their suffering and ensure their civil, economic, and social rights. This includes ensuring their participation in general Palestinian elections — especially elections for the Palestinian National Council. It also includes supporting UNRWA so it can fulfill its responsibilities toward millions of Palestinian refugees inside Palestine and abroad, and confronting Israeli attempts to dismantle or hinder its work.
Let me point out here that Israeli policy against UNRWA aims to eliminate the issue of Palestinian refugees as part of its broader plan to completely liquidate the Palestinian cause. Therefore, standing with UNRWA and supporting it is part of defending the Palestinian cause and the rights of Palestinian refugees, who now number over eight million, both in camps inside Palestine and in the diaspora.
On the international level, the PLO and the State of Palestine have succeeded in building a broad network of friendships and cooperative relations with many countries around the world. Today, the State of Palestine is recognized by 149 countries, including significant European nations and global powers such as the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. We also succeeded in 2012 in raising Palestine's status at the United Nations to that of an observer state and hoisted the Palestinian flag at the UN alongside the flags of all other nations — a flag that symbolizes our independent national identity, even though some ignorant people have dismissed it as just a “rag.” We continue to work toward full membership for the State of Palestine in the United Nations.
The elevation of Palestine’s status at the United Nations has allowed us to join dozens of international organizations and treaties as a full member — such as UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, the International Criminal Court, Interpol, and others. This has granted us broad operational spaces: first, in building strong international partnerships and cooperation, as we did during our presidency of the G77 + China group; and second, in pursuing and prosecuting the Israeli occupation and its political and military leaders for the war crimes they have committed — and continue to commit — against our people.
We stood firm against the attempt to impose what was called the "Deal of the Century," which aimed to circumvent our national constants and legitimate rights. And we said then, as we say now: Anyone who thinks peace, security, or stability can be achieved at the expense of our rights and our national cause is delusional. There is only one path to peace: a fully sovereign Palestinian state, in accordance with international legitimacy, with East Jerusalem as its capital — anything else is a fantasy that cannot and will not be.
Based on all this, our current international movement, whether independently or in coordination and cooperation with the Arab and Islamic group, rests on the following pillars:
- Calling on the international community to compel Israel, the occupying power, to cease its war against us in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank; withdraw its forces; stop the confiscation of Palestinian lands; dismantle settlements; and move towards fully ending the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine. This also includes supporting the initiative launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to establish an international coalition to implement the two-state solution.
- Calling for an international peace conference under the auspices of the United Nations, the U.S., Russia, China, the European Union, Japan, South Africa, and Brazil — based on Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, the International Court of Justice, the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, and the signed agreements between the PLO and Israel — to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace and end the conflict that began with the ominous Balfour Declaration of 1917.
- Creating a political environment that enables peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the Middle East — built on the principles of sovereignty, good neighborliness, non-aggression, and regional treaties grounded in comprehensive joint cooperation.
- Protecting and preserving shared interests in the region by respecting state sovereignty and ending the colonial and military exploitation of peoples' rights and resources.
- Urging the permanent members of the UN Security Council that have yet to recognize the State of Palestine to do so, as 149 countries already have. Palestine has its seat among the nations by alphabetical order. We have previously applied for full UN membership but were blocked by a U.S. veto. Despite this, we will reapply — again and again if necessary — until we obtain full membership status.
- Upholding the "land for peace" principle as the foundation of the two-state solution: a sovereign, independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4, 1967 borders, living side-by-side with the State of Israel — and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all occupied Palestinian territories.
- Declaring an end to hatred and hostility, rejecting terrorism, respecting human rights and religious freedoms, and ensuring unfettered access to all places of worship for all religions, and ending violations against sacred religious sites.
Sisters and brothers,
At the Arab Summit held in Cairo on March 4, I spoke about the creation of the position of Vice President of the Executive Committee of the PLO and the State of Palestine. I then referred the matter to the Palestinian National Council and requested its president to take the necessary legal steps to amend the PLO's basic law to establish this role — a goal I have pursued for over 20 years as part of a broader vision to develop and strengthen the PLO and the State of Palestine.
In my speech at the summit, I also addressed the issue of pardoning former Fatah members who were dismissed from the movement and allowing them to return to their roles and positions, provided they submit individual applications approved by the Palestinian leadership.
Sisters and brothers,
I would not want to conclude without expressing my deep gratitude to our Arab brothers for their unwavering support of our people's struggle:
- Thank you to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt for his courageous stance, especially his rejection of the forced displacement of our people from Gaza.
- Thank you to King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for his support of our people, his rejection of any attempts to displace them to Jordan, and his ongoing protection of the holy sites in Palestine.
- Thank you to King Salman bin Abdulaziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for their bold rejection of normalization with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established.
- Thank you to our brothers in Algeria and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for their continued support for our just struggle, their rejection of all attempts to erase the Palestinian cause, especially at the Security Council and other international forums, and their work toward Palestinian unity.
I also extend my sincere thanks to all Arab leaders — kings, princes, and presidents — without exception, for standing by our people in their quest for freedom, independence, and self-determination.
And finally, I say to our Palestinian people, wherever you may be across the wide world:
Our national cause, our right to self-determination, to statehood, to Jerusalem as our eternal capital, and to return — is a sacred trust that we all carry.
We will sacrifice everything for it — our very lives if necessary.
Anyone who thinks they can bypass the cause of our people or the PLO — the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people — will inevitably fail.
They will not erase the truth, nor will they erase our national project, which has been nourished by the pure blood of our martyrs and wounded.
Salute to our people in brave, wounded Gaza…
In steadfast, resilient West Bank…
In Jerusalem, the crown jewel of our nation…
And to all Palestinians everywhere — for your endurance, your unity, and your unwavering commitment to our national rights.
Salute to all those who support the Palestinian cause — people of conscience who fight alongside us for justice, freedom, and independence.
Glory to the martyrs…
Healing to the wounded…
Freedom to the prisoners…
Palestine is ours…
Jerusalem is ours…
And we shall triumph, God willing — even if it takes time.
We remain on our land — we will not leave.
The one who must — and will — leave is the occupation.
Peace and blessings be upon you.
K.T/M.N
