Israeli policies are no longer content with undermining the two-state solution, they now threaten "the very life and existence" of the Palestinians, the president of the Palestinian Authority denounced on Thursday at the UN podium.

"The danger is no longer limited to undermining the two-state solution and preventing the creation of the Palestinian state. It has now reached the point of threatening the very life and existence of the Palestinian people in their homeland," Mahmoud Abbas said in a pre-recorded video, unable to deliver his speech in person due to a visa refusal.

"What is happening in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are not isolated incidents, but a malicious colonial project aimed at making life more difficult for Palestinians in their homeland and forcing them to leave," he continued.

The intensification of settlement activity "aims to separate the northern West Bank from its southern West Bank, to isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and to prevent the creation of a geographically contiguous Palestinian state," he lamented.

In Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 2025, Israeli forces occupy more than 60% of the small, densely populated territory. And in the West Bank, violence perpetrated by extremist Israeli settlers has escalated, leading countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Canada to impose economic sanctions.

With 160 countries now recognizing a State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations Security Council "to intervene urgently and responsibly".

"Today, we are telling the world that saving the solution begins with preserving the land on which the Palestinian state must be established and protecting the people who live there," he declared.

The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in a speech at the UN, regretted "the current impasse in Gaza, and more broadly in Palestine" after the positive momentum last year with the recognition of a State of Palestine by many countries including France.

"The two-state solution can no longer wait," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday, on the sidelines of the General Assembly. "The international community has taken some steps towards achieving it, but they are clearly insufficient."

Mahmoud Abbas also stressed that he had "fulfilled" his obligations by launching a reform program and "renouncing violence and terrorism".

- Logistical obstacles -

The Palestinians are also heading towards legislative elections on November 28 before presidential elections, he continued, as he had pledged in a letter addressed in June 2025 to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Wednesday, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, urged that the November elections be held, while the international community fears their postponement, particularly due to logistical difficulties concerning the delivery of voting materials to the Gaza Strip or the granting of visas for international observers in the West Bank, desired in particular by the European Union.

Mahmoud Abbas also assured that the reform of the education system was continuing "on the basis of international standards and in cooperation with UNESCO, in order to promote the values of peace, tolerance, and respect for others, while preserving the national identity and the rights" of his people.

This reform is inspired in particular by a report by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, prepared at the request of the UN Secretary-General, which had identified political biases in some of the content of Palestinian school textbooks.