Abbas: Gaza is part of Palestine and a just peace is a regional and international necessity.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized on Tuesday that the Gaza Strip is part of the State of Palestine, noting that a just peace is a regional and international necessity. This was stated in a speech on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on November 29 each year, delivered on his behalf by the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour.

Abbas said: "We affirm here that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that its unity with the West Bank and East Jerusalem is a fixed and non-negotiable right, and that all arrangements during the transitional period must be consistent with the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and with the unity and integrity of its territories."

Since October 10, an agreement has been reached for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as part of a 20-point plan by U.S. President Donald Trump, which in its initial stages calls for a ceasefire, the introduction of aid, and a prisoner exchange with Hamas. However, Israel continues to obstruct the transition to its second phase by repeatedly violating the terms.

The second phase of the plan includes provisions for managing Gaza through a temporary transitional government composed of a non-political Palestinian technocratic committee, and an economic plan from President Trump for the reconstruction of Gaza. Trump's plan also stipulates that Palestinians should not be forced to leave the Gaza Strip and that Israel should not occupy or annex the territory.

It also states that the United States will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary international stabilization force to be deployed immediately in Gaza, and that when the stabilization force is imposed, Israeli forces will withdraw from the territory.

Abbas continued that Palestine will work with the United States and partners in the region and the world "to establish a permanent ceasefire and to launch a political process that ends the occupation and leads to a just and comprehensive peace that ensures security, stability, and prosperity for all countries in the region."

He reiterated "the necessity of a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, moving towards reconstruction, and for the State of Palestine to assume its full administrative and security responsibilities in the Gaza Strip."

He added: "And to ensure the connection of all institutions and bodies in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian Authority and state institutions, including the crossings, and to implement the vision of one state, one government, one law, and one weapon."

Abbas addressed in his speech the effects of the genocide in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In this regard, he said: "At a time when we are facing these crimes, we are witnessing a growing international momentum in favor of recognizing the State of Palestine, and increasing support for ending the illegal occupation in accordance with the International Court of Justice's ruling and achieving a just and comprehensive peace."

He expressed the State of Palestine's rejection "of the statements and positions issued by senior officials in the extremist Israeli government, which call for racism, persecution, and hatred, and reject the independence of the State of Palestine."

He stated that settlement practices, settler violence, home demolitions, land confiscation, repeated incursions into Palestinian cities, and undermining the institutions of the State of Palestine "are all illegal unilateral steps that undermine the chances for peace."

He called on the United Nations to assume its responsibilities in stopping these practices, ensuring compliance with international law, and providing protection for the Palestinian people.

He said that "a just peace based on international legitimacy has become a regional and international necessity, and the only way to achieve it is to end the occupation completely and to realize the independence of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."

In light of the genocide in Gaza, many countries have recognized the State of Palestine, raising the number of countries recognizing it to 160 out of 193 United Nations member states, according to Palestinian foreign ministry data.

The Israeli genocide in Gaza since October 8, 2023, has resulted in more than 69,000 Palestinian deaths and over 170,000 injuries.

Simultaneously, Israeli assaults in the occupied West Bank have escalated, resulting in at least 1,082 Palestinian deaths and around 11,000 injuries, along with the arrest of more than 20,500 individuals, according to official Palestinian sources.