"They burn homes, attack villages and kill civilians in broad daylight": Palestinian President slams Israel at UNGA

New York [US], September 25 (ANI): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link after being denied a US visa, launched a scathing attack on Israel, accusing it of war crimes, illegal settlements and violations of international law.

Turning to the situation in the West Bank, Abbas said, "The extremist Israeli government continues to implement its settlement disease through illegal settlement expansion and developing projects for annexing settlements."

He specifically referred to Israel's latest E1 settlement plan, warning that it "would divide the West Bank into two parts and would isolate occupied Jerusalem from its surroundings and would undermine the option of the two-state solution, in a blatant violation of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions."

The Palestinian Authority leader also rejected remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advocating for a "greater Israel." Abbas said, "We reject and completely deplore" such calls, stressing that they involve "expanding into sovereign Arab states in addition to the brutal attack against the sisterly State of Qatar."

Describing the move as dangerous, Abbas called the attack "an escalation and a grave and blatant violation of international law."

He further drew attention to the rise in settler violence across Palestinian territories.

"They burn homes and fields, they uproot trees and attack villages, and attack unarmed Palestinian civilians," Abbas told the assembly.

"In fact, they kill them in broad daylight under the protection of the Israeli occupation army," he added.

The Palestinian leader also accused Israel of targeting religious heritage sites. He said mosques, churches and cemeteries in Jerusalem, Hebron and Gaza have been attacked, calling it "a blatant violation of the historic status quo and in a clear violation of the provisions of international law."

These remarks came against the backdrop of one of the world's longest and most violent disputes -- the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, whose roots go back more than a century.

The struggle has been marked by repeated wars between Israel and Arab nations, as well as uprisings known as intifadas against Israeli occupation, often followed by reprisals and crackdowns.

The consequences of this protracted dispute over land, borders, and rights remain unresolved and continue to shape the region, most recently reflected in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (ANI)

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