Abbas at UN: What is happening in Gaza and West Bank is part of plan to force Palestinians to leave

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday in a pre-recorded speech, after the United States denied entry visas to him and members of the Palestinian delegation.

“For a long time, through the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council, we have warned the international community that these Israeli policies, which violate international law, would destroy the two-State solution. That is precisely what is happening now,” Abbas said.

Addressing the international community, Abbas warned of what he described as an even greater threat.

“Today, we warn of an even greater danger ahead, one that requires international action to stop it. The danger is no longer limited to undermining the two-State solution and preventing the realization of a Palestinian State. It now threatens the very life and existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland,” he said.

“What is happening in Gaza, and what is happening in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, are not separate events. Rather, they are part of a malicious colonial plan aimed at making life increasingly difficult for Palestinians in their homeland and forcing them to leave it,” Abbas continued.

“Do not allow another Nakba and further massacres like those of 1948 to continue taking place. Do not allow terrorist gangs protected by the Israeli occupying forces to burn Palestinian homes while their inhabitants are sleeping inside. Do not allow our children to live in fear and under threat,” he said.

“Once again, I ask you: How long will some countries continue to remain silent about Israel, or continue supplying it with weapons that it uses against our people?” Abbas added.