Entire world responsible for what's happening to people in Gaza: Palestinian president at UNGA 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the entire world is responsible for what has been happening to the people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly today (26 September), he said, "I ask you to answer me, by God, stop this crime! Stop it now! Stop killing children and women ... Stop sending weapons to Israel."

"We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave. Palestine is our homeland," he said, as reported by Reuters.

We will not leave, we will not leave, we will not leave
Palestine is our homeland,
It is the land of our fathers and grandfathers,
And it will remain ours,
And if anyone should leave, they are the usurpers and occupiers pic.twitter.com/SXPFbjX6Lq

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) September 26, 2024

He further said, "Israel has reoccupied the Gaza Strip in its entirety, and it has destroyed it almost entirely, so that Gaza is no longer fit for life.

"We will not allow a single centimeter of Gaza to be taken by Israel."

Regarding UN membership, he said, "This is the United States, the very country that was the only member in the Security Council that voted against granting the State of Palestine full membership in the UN. We don't deserve membership in the eyes of America."

"What do we lack, to be on the same footing as 194 official member states and the United Nations? We have the land. We have the authority. We have the people. We have the culture. We have the knowledge. We have everything that we need. We ask you to help us."

Could Palestinians get UNGA membership?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for the first time, was seated on the floor of the General Assembly among other UN member states when they met in New York. 

But the Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people and where it's known in the UN as the "State of Palestine", is not a full member and does not have a vote in the 193-member UN General Assembly. 

A month after the United States vetoed recognition in the UN Security Council in April, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member and recommended the UN Security Council "reconsider the matter favourably." 

The move by the General Assembly would effectively recognise a Palestinian state. 

But the Palestinians remain a non-member observer state as the 15-member Security Council has not acted on the General Assembly recommendation. 

In 2011, Abbas lodged a bid for Palestinian statehood but diplomats at the time said it lacked the minimum nine votes needed to adopt a resolution.