Palestinian delegation was unlawfully denied entry visas, Abbas tells UN
Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime president of the Palestinian Authority, is now addressing the gathering. He is delivering his speech via a pre-recorded video for the second year in a row, after the Trump administration refused to grant him a visa.
He said:
For the second consecutive year, the Palestinian delegation was denied the entry visas required to reach New York and participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in person. We reject these unlawful punitive measures, and we reject the accusations and justifications on which they were based.”
The state department said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation had “failed to live up to their commitments”, accusing the groups of “taking actions to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the international criminal court and international court of justice” and of “glorifying terrorism” among other allegations.
Abbas denied the accusations, saying:
We affirm that we have fulfilled our obligations, carried out a comprehensive national reform programme, and upheld our commitment to international law, to shunning violence and terrorism, and to the two state solution and to peace on the basis of resolutions of international legitimacy.”
Key events
For a closer look at the realities facing Palestinians in Gaza, the Guardian is following five ordinary citizens through a week of their lives nearly three years after the war began.
The series, Gaza: a week in the life, documents their daily experiences, from displacement and power cuts to work, education and family life, offering a personal perspective on some of the issues Abbas addressed in his speech.
‘We will not leave our homeland,’ says Abbas
Abbas closed his speech by addressing the Palestinian people.
He said:
I address the sons and daughters of our Palestinian people in their homeland and in the diaspora. You have painted the greatest picture of pride and dignity by holding steadfastly onto your land, your unity, and your legitimate rights.
We will not leave our homeland, we will not accept displacement, and we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf.”
Abbas accused Israel of seeking to “expand its colonial project towards establishing the so-called Greater Israel and completely erasing Palestinian presence”.
He expressed particular gratitude to the UK for the measures it had taken “in order to protect the two-state solution” and ban settlement products.
He added:
We call upon president Trump to fulfil the commitments he made to the leaders of the Arab and Islamic states last September to prevent the annexation of Palestinian land and to reject displacement.
It is impossible to separate Israel’s land seizure practices from the dismantling of Palestinian institutions and the depletion of its financial resources. All of these are tools that lead to one same result – weakening our people’s ability to remain steadfast and stay on their land.”
Abbas urges progress on Gaza peace plan as he warns against open-ended transition
Abbas said that while he welcomed Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, he warned that its implementation was falling short and called for the next phase to be accelerated, with a clear timetable for a lasting political settlement.
He told the UN:
Regretfully, we have not seen any of this materialise on the ground. The Israeli killing and aggression continue to claim the lives of men, women and children in Gaza. Nearly a year has passed since the adoption of [the peace plan] and the establishment of the Board of Peace. And only one year remains of the designated transitional period before the end of 2027.
Therefore, we called for accelerating the implementation of the second phase rather than wasting any more time. The transitional period must not be allowed to become a permanent or open-ended situation without any clear time bound political horizon.
Rather, it must lead to the reunification of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, under the authority of the State of Palestine and its legitimate institutions, in accordance with the principle of one state, one government.
Abbas tells UN Palestinians face ‘one of the most dangerous times’ in their history
Abbas set out a stark account of the situation facing Palestinians, focusing on both Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He criticised Israel’s military campaign and settlement policies, and called attention to the destruction and humanitarian suffering caused by the conflict.
He said:
I speak to you today as the Palestinian people faces one of the most dangerous times of its history.
This is following long decades of historic injustice… Our people are being subjected at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces to killing, destruction, starvation and attempts at displacement, as well as a genocidal war that has created an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
It has destroyed neighbourhoods, cities, camps, institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques and churches. And it has targeted all the basic necessities of life and the future of entire generations.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settler expansion is accelerating. The West Bank is being fragmented, and Jerusalem is being isolated and utilised. Settler terrorism is escalating under the protection of the occupying forces, while the crimes of land theft, home demolition checkpoints and raids continue under a system of laws, measures and practices, all built on racial discrimination, ethnic cleansing and state terrorism.”
Palestinian delegation was unlawfully denied entry visas, Abbas tells UN
Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime president of the Palestinian Authority, is now addressing the gathering. He is delivering his speech via a pre-recorded video for the second year in a row, after the Trump administration refused to grant him a visa.
He said:
For the second consecutive year, the Palestinian delegation was denied the entry visas required to reach New York and participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly in person. We reject these unlawful punitive measures, and we reject the accusations and justifications on which they were based.”
The state department said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation had “failed to live up to their commitments”, accusing the groups of “taking actions to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the international criminal court and international court of justice” and of “glorifying terrorism” among other allegations.
Abbas denied the accusations, saying:
We affirm that we have fulfilled our obligations, carried out a comprehensive national reform programme, and upheld our commitment to international law, to shunning violence and terrorism, and to the two state solution and to peace on the basis of resolutions of international legitimacy.”
The US and Chinese leaders are expected to soon meet at the White House for talks (and, later, dinner), where they’re expected to discuss a range of issues.
The last time Xi was in the US for a state visit he was hosted by Barack Obama, more than a decade ago. You can follow the latest on those talks on our dedicated live blog:
Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his signature scarf in the colours of Zimbabwe’s flag, told the general assembly hall that the world was facing a “pivotal moment”, with conflicts spreading, climate shocks intensifying and technological advances outpacing the rules governing them.
The Zimbabwean president said:
As the current crop of leaders, it should concern us that today, somewhere, a child is born into war, a family is displaced by conflict, a farmer loses another harvest to drought, and the young person wonders whether technological progress will expand opportunity or deepen inequality.
Though separated by geography, these experiences reveal a common truth – humanity’s challenges are increasingly interconnected, and no nation can overcome them alone.”
Third day of UN general assembly begins
Here is the livestream of the third day of the UN general assembly, with the president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, scheduled to speak first. Watch here as we bring you the latest lines and updates:
The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has been spotted speaking to officials on the sidelines of the general assembly. He has already spoken to the US secretary of state Marco Rubio and is scheduled to address the general assembly on Saturday. Meanwhile his country has continued bombing Ukraine, where at least seven people were killed and a further 12 people injured in a Russian strike on a farm in the north-eastern region of Kharkiv. My colleague Jakub Krupa has the latest over on our Europe live blog here.
To follow Donald Trump’s movements today, including his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, my colleague Chris Hippensteel has the latest over on our US politics live blog here:
An image here from the newswires showing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy hugging the Nato secretary general Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the general assembly. News agencies report Zelensky and Rutte discussed securing US Patriot interceptors for Ukraine.
Iran and Ukraine foreign ministers meet on sidelines of general assembly
The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
It is the first such meeting since a Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian commercial vessel in July, which killed one sailor and injured another. Mehr posted images of the meeting on Telegram, showing Araghchi and Sybiha sitting with two other delegates.
In the latest episode of Stateside with Kai and Carter, Kai Wright and Carter Sherman look at whether Benjamin Netanyahu is losing support in the US as he arrives in New York for the UN general assembly. The episode explores what declining support for Israel among US voters could mean for Netanyahu’s influence in Washington, and how it could affect Israel’s general election next month.
You can listen to the episode Has Netanyahu lost America? here:
A recap of speeches so far
Here is a recap of the speeches at the UN general assembly so far:
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As mentioned, the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, turned the tables on Donald Trump, describing the US as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East while insisting that Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table. Read the full report here.
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The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, called for de-escalation of the war with Russia and urged his counterparts to continue restricting Russia’s revenues and impeding its war efforts. You can watch his speech here.
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The Argentinian president, Javier Milei, said his country would take “matters into [its] own hands” in its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. You can read the full report here.
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US president Donald Trump vowed to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into hell” during his speech, which you can watch here.
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UK prime minister Andy Burnham used his first speech at the UN to announce his government is setting up a new national centre to tackle disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia. You can read the full report here.
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French president Emmanuel Macron, in his final general assembly speech, warned against a global “return to the law of the jungle” as he criticised the situation in Gaza and urged the world not to “remain inactive” in the face of the crisis. My colleagues covered his speech, and more, during live coverage of the general assembly earlier this week.
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Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said the UN next secretary general must be a woman from Latin America. You can watch his speech here.
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David Adeang, the president of Naoero, which was formerly known as Nauru, addressed the name change of the Pacific Island nation during his UN speech. You can watch that here.
Netanyahu arrives in New York for UN general assembly
News agencies have reported that Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York for the UN general assembly, but that no meeting has been arranged between the Israeli prime minister and US president Donald Trump.
Netanyahu’s office said he will meet with the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Ethiopia, the Vvce president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea.
“Many world leaders requested to meet with the prime minister during the visit, but due to a tight schedule and the need to return before the onset of Sukkot, the prime minister was only able to accommodate some of them,” Netanyahu’s office said on X.
Trump, meanwhile, is hosting Chinese president Xi Jinping in Washington today, where a lavish ceremony will take place at the White House. The landmark summit will also see Xi, on his first visit to the US in more than a decade, attend a state dinner in his honour.
During his UN address yesterday, the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, hit out at the US for undermining peace efforts in its war with Iran, accusing Washington of being the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East.
“It must be understood by president Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations but without the language of force,” he told the UN.
During his defiant speech, he displayed images of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed at the start of the conflict in February.
“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country.”
Turning to the US, Pezeshkian added: “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”
Our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour has more in this report from New York:
My colleagues Andrew Roth and Alice Speri have written about Netanyahu’s speech later today, at a critical moment in his political career:
When he takes the stage at the UN on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver a familiar message of defiance even as protests and international condemnation leave the Israeli leader in growing isolation.
Netanyahu is facing his toughest re-election challenge in a political career spanning decades with three ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, and a growing campaign of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Internationally, Israel is facing growing condemnation. The UK, France and Canada are planning to sanction Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the British foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has accused Israeli settlers of committing ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities.
And the US is in the midst of a historic shift in public opinion against Israel, with 62% of respondents telling Pew in July they had a negative opinion of Netanyahu’s government, and 60% of American Jews in a poll released this week hoping he is voted out in October.
Read more:
Netanyahu expected to attack Mamdani in UN general assembly speech
Morning, and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the UN general assembly.
Benjamin Netanyahu will speak at the UN general assembly today where he is expected to attack New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, a vocal critic of the Israeli prime minister who has repeatedly described him as a war criminal.
In a video statement earlier this week, Netanyahu falsely accused Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, of supporting Hamas and inciting riots against the city’s Jewish population.
Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador, said he expected Netanyahu’s UN address to resemble a “campaign speech”.
“Maybe he’s thinking, ‘if I can attack Mamdani and attack the Iranians, somebody who was wavering between voting for me and voting for (Gadi) Eisenkot may decide to vote for me’,” Oren told Reuters, referring to Netanyahu’s main political rival in next month’s Israeli general election.
Mamdani said earlier this year that he was looking into whether his office could arrest Netanyahu, who is wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza, if he visited New York. Speaking in July, he said: “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the international criminal court, and what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these past many years.” But he conceded that he did not have the legal authority to do so. The US is not a party to the ICC and does not recognise its authority.
Despite his criticism of the Israeli government and staunch support for Palestinian rights, Mamdani is reportedly not taking part in the protests scheduled to take place in New York against Netanyahu. The New York Times reported that he will instead be visiting an LGBTQ+ centre with the prime minister of the Netherlands.
During the UN general assembly last year, Netanyahu delivered his address to a sea of empty chairs after delegates walked out of the hall in protest. My colleagues Andrew Roth and Alice Speri has more on what to expect from his speech today:
Also today:
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While Netanyahu prepares for his UN speech, the Israeli military has continued to launch strikes in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it targeted “the home of a terrorist” in the village of Beit Imrin, north-west of Nablus. The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the home belonged to Dawas Hassoun, a Palestinian prisoner who has been detained since March for allegedly killing an Israeli. Multiple bombings have also been reported in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s National News Agency.
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The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be addressing the UN general assembly via video. Like last year, Abbas was banned from entering the US by the Trump administration, with the state department saying in a statement that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) had “failed to live up to their commitments”.
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Donald Trump will be in Washington DC to host the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, who landed last night in his first state visit to the US capital in a decade.
