Abbas at UN: PA to govern Gaza after war, Hamas to be disarmed

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to the United Nations General Assembly by video on Thursday after the United States revoked his visa, said Palestinians reject the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and pledged that Hamas will have no role in governing Gaza after the war ends. Abbas outlined a postwar vision in which the Palestinian Authority assumes full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza, and he urged the militant group to hand over its weapons.

In a speech that painted harrowing images of the conflict, Abbas said Palestinians in Gaza are facing "a war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement" by Israel. He said the actions of Oct. 7 do not represent the Palestinian people and that his authorities condemn the attack. "There can be no justice if Palestine is not freed," he said.

Abbas offered the UN a clear political aim: sovereignty backed by broader international recognition and practical control on the ground. He welcomed recent decisions by France, the United Kingdom and Canada to recognize Palestinian statehood and called on the remaining few dozen countries that have not to follow suit. He cautioned, however, that symbolic recognition...