Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a long round of applause as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday, insisting that "we will not leave, Palestine is our homeland," and "if anyone were to leave it would be the occupier."
He proceeded to accuse Israel of perpetrating a "full-scale war of genocide," dismissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Israel didn't kill civilians in Gaza. "I ask you, who is it then that killed more than 15,000 children?" he said.
"Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop killing children and women. Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people," Abbas said.
SANCTION AND EXCLUSION
During his speech, Abbas called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel and also its exclusion from the United Nations following the "genocide in Gaza."
"We call for sanctions against Israel. Israel does not deserve to be part of this organization. I don't know how the United States can insist on depriving us of our rights," Abbas said, adding that Israel must be stripped of United Nations membership for failing to accept a two-state resolution to the conflict and allowing the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes. "We are going to submit an application to the UNGA on this matter," he said.
"We regret that the U.S. administration -- the largest democracy in the world -- on three occasions obstructed draft resolutions at the Security Council demanding Israel to observe a ceasefire," Abbas said, accusing the United States of encouraging Israel's military actions by repeatedly using its veto power and supplying Israel with weapons used in the conflict.
"This is the United States -- the same country that was the only member in the Security Council that voted against granting the state of Palestine full membership in the UN," Abbas said, expressing disbelief over what he sees as the U.S. consistent opposition to Palestinian statehood and rights.
He also touched upon the situation with settlers in the West Bank, specifying that 600,000 settlers currently live there. "We want ICJ (the International Court of Justice) ruling on Israel to be implemented," he noted.
CRIME AND GENOCIDE
Highlighting that Palestinians have endured nearly a year of what he described as one of the most heinous crimes of the time, the leader said that "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 to this day."
He pointed out that whole Palestinian families have been annihilated, their family names completely erased, stressing 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.
Abbas underscored that he was not speaking today "to respond to the lies" of the Israeli prime minister, who claimed before the U.S. 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?" he said.
"Palestine will be free, despite anyone who objects. Our people will live in the land of their fathers and grandfathers ... The occupation will end," concluded Abbas.
STRIKE AND CEASEFIRE
Right after Abbas, Gambian President Adama Barrow addressed the UNGA that "the Israeli occupation, expansion of settlements, blockade of Gaza, and restrictions in the West Bank, together with the threat of intensifying the war to a regional conflict, continue to worsen the ongoing tensions in the Middle East."
"Accordingly, I call on the United Nations, the international community, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member States to join forces and urgently bring about permanent peace in Palestine," he said, adding that "we call on the international community to prioritize support for the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza and the improvement of economic conditions in the West Bank. Even though the situation in that region is extremely serious, the intense destruction of lives and property continues."
In the meantime, Netanyahu instructed his military to keep fighting "with full force" on Thursday, as high-stakes international diplomatic efforts were underway to pause the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Netanyahu is heading to New York for the UNGA, as members of his government dismissed a ceasefire proposal that the United States, European allies and several Arab nations put forward. Israel's military carried out new strikes in Lebanon, including one in Beirut, the capital, that targeted the commander of Hezbollah's drone unit.
The UNGA adopted a resolution on May 10 supporting the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member and recommending that the Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably." The resolution was adopted with 143 votes in favor and nine against, including the United States and Israel, while 25 countries abstained. China voted for the resolution.
The resolution states, "The State of Palestine ... should therefore be admitted to membership" and "recommends that the Security Council reconsider the matter favorably."
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