Palestinian Authority President Abbas: If more countries recognize us, we will seek full UN membership

An interview with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was broadcast on the UAE-based Al Arabiya channel on Monday.

Abbas addressed the growing international intentions to recognize a Palestinian state and said that if more countries support such recognition, the Palestinian Authority will appeal to the United Nations to be granted full member status, instead of remaining an observer state.

"Of course, there is one obstacle we face – the United States holds veto power in the UN Security Council," Abbas said.

"I recognized the State of Israel back in 1988. The Oslo Accords also represent recognition of Israel, but Israel does not want to recognize a Palestinian state."

Abbas commented on the ongoing war in Gaza saying, "Israel wants to destroy all of Gaza and has no interest in a Palestinian state. That's why it acted the way it did after October 7 and has nearly destroyed Gaza completely."

"The Gaza of today is no longer the Gaza we know. Every day, between 50 and 100 people are killed there. Israel is turning Palestinians into statistics. The situation of the Palestinians is catastrophic – not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank."

The PA chairman added that he has expressed readiness to share governance in Gaza after the war, and that there is no objection to cooperating with Arab and international actors in governing the Strip.

"Netanyahu is the main opponent of this," he stated.

"Public opinion in Europe, in much of the U.S., and even in Israel condemns what is happening in Gaza, but Netanyahu is determined to continue killing the Palestinian people for personal reasons: he has four legal cases pending against him. He wants to stay in power so that he won't go to prison."

Abbas dismissed the possibility of war with Israel: "We are not interested in war, and even before October 7, we declared that we support unarmed popular resistance – or resistance through peaceful means."

He also sent a message to former U.S. President Donald Trump: "It is your right to be a friend of Israel and to serve Israel as much as you like, but you must be fair and remember that there is also a Palestinian people."

About Netanyahu, he said, "He is not just committing simple crimes – he is causing catastrophes: destroying the land, killing people through starvation. Is there anything worse than that?"

Abbas also voiced support for disarming Hamas: "If Hamas wants to be part of the Palestinian political system, it must recognize the PLO, accept its commitments, and agree to the rules of the international game. They must agree to the principle of 'one state, one people, one army, and one weapon.'"