RAMALLAH, September 22, 2025 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking on behalf of the State of Palestine, reaffirmed the commitment of the Palestinian leadership to a comprehensive reform agenda that strengthens governance, transparency, and the rule of law, pledging to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within a year after the war ends.
Addressing the high-level International Conference on a Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the President, the President pledged to draft a provisional constitution to ensure the transition from authority to statehood. This framework, he stressed, will exclude any parties or individuals who do not adhere to the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization, international legitimacy, and will be overseen by international monitoring.
President Abbas expressed deep appreciation to the conference co-chairs, the United Nations, and all participating countries for the adoption of the historic New York Declaration by the UN General Assembly in July with an overwhelming majority.
He described it as a decisive step toward ending the humanitarian catastrophe, ending the occupation in line with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and realizing an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace, security, and good neighborliness.
He said the New York Declaration affirmed that the war against the Palestinian people must end immediately and sustainably, stressing that “siege, starvation, and destruction cannot be a path to security.”
He praised Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation efforts aimed at halting the war and commended Egypt and Jordan’s firm rejection of forced displacement, a stance supported by the international community.
The President underlined that the State of Palestine is the only legitimate authority capable of assuming full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza through an interim administrative committee linked to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, with Arab and international support.
He made clear that Hamas will have no role in governance, insisting that all factions must hand over their weapons to the Palestinian Authority, as “we seek one state, unarmed, under one law and one legitimate security force.”
The President welcomed the growing wave of recognition of the State of Palestine, calling on countries that have not yet done so to recognize it and to support Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.
He extended his gratitude to France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino, and Andorra, while honoring the 149 states that had recognized Palestine earlier, most recently Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Armenia.
President Abbas also hailed the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia, France, and the United Kingdom in leading and mobilizing further international recognition, and thanked all countries participating in the conference for their contributions to the New York Declaration and for advancing “irreversible steps toward peace based on the two-state solution and international legitimacy.”
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Full Speech of H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas at the International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution:
In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Your Excellency President Emmanuel Macron,
Your Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud,
H.E. Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres,
Distinguished leaders and heads of delegations,
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
On behalf of the State of Palestine, I express profound appreciation to the Co-Chairs, to the United Nations, and to all participating states for the historic New York Declaration issued by the July Conference, which was adopted by an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly, marking the beginning of irreversible steps toward ending the humanitarian catastrophe and the occupation, in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and realizing the independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborliness.
The Declaration affirmed that the war against our people must end immediately and permanently, and that crimes of siege, starvation, and destruction cannot be a means to achieve security. We therefore demand a permanent ceasefire, the guaranteed delivery of humanitarian aid through the United Nations and UNRWA, the release of all hostages and prisoners, the withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, and the immediate start of rehabilitation and reconstruction in Gaza and the West Bank through the International Conference in Cairo.
We commend the Egyptian, Qatari, and the United States of America mediation efforts seeking to stop the war, and we value the positions of Egypt and Jordan in rejecting displacement—an approach shared with us by the international community.
The State of Palestine is the only legitimate authority qualified to assume full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza, through a temporary administrative committee linked to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, with Arab and international support.
Hamas will have no role in governance, and it, along with other factions, must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, because we want one unified state, without arms outside the framework of the law, under one legal system, and with one legitimate security force. We reaffirm our condemnation of the crimes of the occupation, as we also condemn the killing and kidnapping of civilians, including what Hamas committed on October 7, 2023.
At the same time, we demand an end to settlement activity, annexation, settler terrorism, and assaults on Islamic and Christian holy sites. We condemn the occupation’s policies that isolate Jerusalem, expand construction in Area E1, and promote rhetoric of a “Greater Israel,” which shows contempt for international law and poses a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace. We also condemn the blatant aggression against the sovereignty of sisterly Qatar and other Arab countries, which calls for a firm international response.
The State of Palestine is pursuing a comprehensive reform agenda to strengthen governance, transparency, and the rule of law. This includes reforming the financial system and school curricula in line with UNESCO standards within two years, and establishing a unified social welfare system following the cancellation of all previous payments to families of prisoners and martyrs, now under international audit by a specialized firm.
We also reaffirm our commitment to holding presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the end of the war, and to drafting a temporary constitution within three months to ensure the transition from authority to statehood. This will prevent the participation of any parties or individuals who do not commit to the political program and international obligations of the Palestine Liberation Organization and international legitimacy, under international monitoring.
We want a modern democratic state based on the rule of law, pluralism, peaceful transfer of power, equality, justice, and the empowerment of women and youth.
We highly appreciate the positions of the countries that have recognized the State of Palestine, and we call on those who have not yet done so to take this step, and we demand support for Palestine to gain full membership in the United Nations. It should be recalled that we already recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1988 and 1993, and we continue to do so.
In this context, we thank France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino, and Andorra, and we recall with respect and gratitude the 149 countries that recognized the State of Palestine early on and shared our long struggle, the most recent being Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Armenia.
We commend the major role of the Conference Co-Chairs, Saudi Arabia and France, as well as the United Kingdom, in mobilizing further international recognitions, and we extend our gratitude to all participating states for their important role in adopting the New York Declaration and advancing irreversible steps toward peace based on the two-state solution under international legitimacy.
We also value the role of our brotherly and friendly states that support our cause in international fora, especially Algeria, which currently holds the Arab seat on the Security Council.
We appreciate the positions of peoples and organizations that support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to freedom, independence, and statehood. We reject conflating solidarity with the Palestinian cause and anti-Semitism, which we firmly oppose, based on our values and principles.
We also declare our readiness to work with U.S. President Donald Trump, with Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations, and all partners to implement the peace plan endorsed at this Conference, within a specific timetable and under international guarantees and monitoring, paving the way toward just peace and comprehensive regional cooperation.
In this regard, we call on Israel to immediately sit at the negotiating table to stop the bloodshed and achieve just and comprehensive peace in the region.
And I say to the Israeli people:
Our future and your future lie in peace. Let the violence and war end. Our generations deserve to live in security and freedom, so that the peoples of our region may live in lasting peace and good neighborliness. On this occasion, I wish all Jews around the world a happy New Year on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah.
And to our steadfast Palestinian people, in Palestine and everywhere, I say: the dawn of freedom and independence is inevitably coming.
Peace be upon you.
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M.N
