President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking on behalf of the State of Palestine, reaffirmed the commitment of the Palestinian leadership to a comprehensive reform agenda that strengthens governance, transparency, and the rule of law, pledging to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within a year after the war ends.
Addressing the high-level International Conference on a Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, the President, the President pledged to draft a provisional constitution to ensure the transition from authority to statehood. This framework, he stressed, will exclude any parties or individuals who do not adhere to the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization, international legitimacy, and will be overseen by international monitoring.
President Abbas expressed deep appreciation to the conference co-chairs, the United Nations, and all participating countries for the adoption of the historic New York Declaration by the UN General Assembly in July with an overwhelming majority.
He described it as a decisive step toward ending the humanitarian catastrophe, ending the occupation in line with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and realizing an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace, security, and good neighborliness.
He said the New York Declaration affirmed that the war against the Palestinian people must end immediately and sustainably, stressing that “siege, starvation, and destruction cannot be a path to security.”
He praised Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediation efforts aimed at halting the war and commended Egypt and Jordan’s firm rejection of forced displacement, a stance supported by the international community.
The President underlined that the State of Palestine is the only legitimate authority capable of assuming full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza through an interim administrative committee linked to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, with Arab and international support.
He made clear that Hamas will have no role in governance, insisting that all factions must hand over their weapons to the Palestinian Authority, as “we seek one state, unarmed, under one law and one legitimate security force.”
The President welcomed the growing wave of recognition of the State of Palestine, calling on countries that have not yet done so to recognize it and to support Palestine’s bid for full UN membership.
He extended his gratitude to France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino, and Andorra, while honoring the 149 states that had recognized Palestine earlier, most recently Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Armenia.
President Abbas also hailed the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia, France, and the United Kingdom in leading and mobilizing further international recognition, and thanked all countries participating in the conference for their contributions to the New York Declaration and for advancing “irreversible steps toward peace based on the two-state solution and international legitimacy.”
