Abbas signals readiness to back France-backed two-state plan with Trump, Saudis and UN

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday via video that he is prepared to work with world leaders to implement the peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians that France announced at a weekend summit. He said he stands against any future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and urged the group to disarm. He also called on governments that have not yet recognised a Palestinian state to do so and asked the United Nations to grant the Palestinians full membership. Abbas, who is nearing 90, framed the message as a demand for international involvement to realize a two-state framework and to restore Palestinian self governance in coordination with regional and global partners.

Abbas condemned Israel's military offensive in Gaza, describing it as one of the most horrific humanitarian disasters of the 21st century, while stressing that he does not endorse Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The war unleashed by that assault has produced a rising humanitarian toll in Gaza, with the Hamas-led health ministry reporting a death toll that has surpassed tens of thousands, including a large share of women and children. The Palestinian leadership has repeatedly cited numbers that reflect the devastation in Gaza and the damage suffered by civilians, even as it calls for accountability and a path toward durable peace that protects civilian lives. The UN and various humanitarian organizations have warned of continued risk to civilians as the conflict persists and aid deliveries remain constrained by security conditions on the ground.

Abbas, who was barred from traveling to New York after a visa revocation that affected roughly 80 other Palestinian officials, used the speech to frame his international engagement as essential to unlocking progress. In his remarks, he thanked several countries that have recently recognised a Palestinian state, noting that Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Portugal had taken that step, and that France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, and Denmark had followed. He also directed attention to the peace plan presented by French President Emmanuel Macron at the summit co-chaired by Saudi Arabia, which seeks a staged approach to resolving the conflict. The plan calls for the simultaneous release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza, and the establishment of a transitional administration that would be controlled by the Palestinian Authority and exclude Hamas in order to lay groundwork for a sovereign, independent, and demilitarised State of Palestine. Neither the United States nor Israel has publicly backed the plan.

Abbas asserted that he is ready to work with a broad group of international actors to implement the framework, including former U.S. president Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations and other partners, with the aim of paving the way toward a just peace and regional cooperation. He emphasized that any restructuring of Gaza’s governance would occur under international supervision and in coordination with Arab states, with the long-term goal of connecting Gaza to the West Bank within a unified political and administrative system. While welcoming support for a transition that could empower the PA, he also acknowledged that the timing would depend on improving security and humanitarian conditions on the ground, as well as a credible path toward elections and reforms.

In his address, Abbas outlined a roadmap for reform that would include presidential and parliamentary elections within one year of the cessation of the current war. He described the Palestinian state as democratic, modern, and committed to international law, the rule of law, pluralism, peaceful transfer of power, and the empowerment of women and youth. The call for elections echoes a long-standing demand within Palestinian politics, where the last national elections were held in 2006 and resulted in a Hamas victory. The subsequent years saw Hamas forcefully taking control of Gaza in 2007 after a violent split with Fatah, delaying the potential for a unified Palestinian electoral process and complicating efforts to negotiate a lasting peace.

The framing of Abbas’s comments reflects a broader attempt to position the Palestinian leadership as a partner in a multilateral effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution. The emphasis on Hamas disarmament, Palestinian statehood, and a transitional Gaza administration aligns with the Macron plan’s architecture, which envisions steps intended to de-escalate violence, restore civilian governance, and create space for a future independent Palestinian state. At the same time, the remarks underscore the political sensitivity of any proposal that hinges on changes in Gaza’s governance and on the willingness of regional and international actors to sustain a long-term political process amid recurrent rounds of fighting, cease-fire negotiations, and humanitarian crises. The absence of explicit U.S. and Israeli backing for the plan remains a central obstacle, even as Abbas seeks to mobilize international support and formal recognition of a Palestinian state as a step toward broader peace negotiations. The speech also signals an ongoing effort to normalize Palestinian statehood on the international stage, while navigating the immediate military realities and humanitarian concerns in Gaza, along with persistent disagreements over the conditions and incentives required to achieve a durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.