UNITED NATIONS — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appeared virtually in front of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday in New York City.
Abbas thanked the nations that have now chosen to recognize Palestine as a state.
He also made a plea to the UN to help put an end to the war in Gaza that has displaced more than a million people.
More than 65,000 deaths have been attributed to the war, with at least 19,000 of those deaths children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Abbas said the Palestinian Authority recognizes Israel’s right to exist.
He denounced Hamas and the attack on Oct. 7, telling Hamas to put their weapons down and release the hostages.
“We reiterate, we do not want an armed state,” said Abbas.
But this doesn’t come without challenges.
The Palestinian Authority has been ineffective in the past, oftentimes seen as corrupt.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has led the charge to Palestinian statehood, has said that the only way for Palestine to become a state and achieve peace is for the Palestinian Authority to undergo reform.
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