Palestinian leader pledges to work with Trump, others on UN-backed Gaza plan

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) -Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged at the United Nations on Thursday to work with U.S. President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Nations on a peace plan for Gaza overwhelmingly backed by the world body.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly earlier this month overwhelmingly endorsed a seven-page declaration that aims to advance a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants.

The declaration emerged from an international conference at the U.N. in July - hosted by Saudi Arabia and France - on the decades-long conflict. The United States and Israel boycotted the event and have rejected the international efforts.

Separately, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday that Trump had presented a 21-point peace plan for the Middle East and Gaza during a meeting with leaders of several Muslim-majority countries on the sidelines of this week's U.N. General Assembly.

Abbas addressed the annual gathering of world leaders on Thursday via video after the United States said it would not give him a visa to travel to New York.

"Despite all that our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on October 7th - acts that targeted Israeli civilians and took them as hostages — because such actions do not represent the Palestinian people nor their just struggle for freedom and independence," Abbas said.

"We have affirmed — and will continue to affirm — that Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that we are ready to assume full responsibility for governance and security there. Hamas will have no role in governance, and it - along with other factions - must hand over its weapons to the Palestinian National Authority," he said. "We reiterate that we do not want an armed state."

The points he raised are included in the declaration endorsed by the General Assembly. 

"We declare our readiness to work with President Donald Trump, with Saudi Arabia, France, the United Nations, and all partners to implement the peace plan" backed by the General Assembly, Abbas said.

An October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 65,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed during the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta, Enas Alashray and Michelle Nichols; Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Howard Goller)