Palestinian Authority President, Mahmud Abbas, will on Thursday deliver a virtual address to the United Nations General Assembly, as international efforts toward recognizing a Palestinian state gather renewed strength.
The 89-year-old leader’s appearance comes just days after France convened a summit where several Western nations formally recognized the State of Palestine. Despite Washington’s longstanding opposition to Palestinian statehood, there are indications the United States may be weighing options to dissuade Israel from annexing parts of the West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state, with far-right members of his government threatening annexation as a means to block any path to independence.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, however, revealed that his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump showed rare alignment on at least one issue.
“What President Trump told me yesterday was that the Europeans and Americans have the same position against annexation,” Macron said in a joint interview with France 24 and Radio France Internationale.
Trump’s envoy and longtime associate, Steve Witkoff, also disclosed that the U.S. president presented a “21-point plan” during meetings with Arab and Islamic leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA.
“I think it addresses Israeli concerns as well as the concerns of all the neighbors in the region,” Witkoff told delegates at the Concordia summit. “We’re hopeful, and I might say even confident, that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”
A White House official confirmed that the administration is seeking “to bring the conflict to an expeditious close” with the support of international partners.
France, meanwhile, has circulated a proposal calling for the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of an international stabilization force, with eventual transfer of security responsibilities in Gaza to a reformed Palestinian Authority.
Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, said his country was ready to contribute up to 20,000 troops to such a mission.
Abbas, who has limited control over parts of the West Bank under the Oslo Accords, has been increasingly vocal about Hamas, condemning the group’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and urging its disarmament.
“Hamas must lay down its arms in the interest of the Palestinian people,” Abbas said earlier this week.
