US President Donald Trump, in a defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly, rejected moves by several nations to recognise a Palestinian state, warning such a step would embolden Hamas.
Trump declared that recognition of Palestinian statehood amounted to “a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire”. He pressed for unity in messaging: “Instead of giving in to Hamas’ ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now, just release the hostages.”
The President urged the immediate cessation of violence in Gaza. “We have to stop the war in Gaza immediately. We have to stop it. … We have to negotiate immediately. Have to negotiate peace. We got to get the hostages back,” Trump told world leaders. His remarks followed announcements by European nations at a UNGA summit of their decision to extend recognition to Palestine, a symbolic but politically weighty move that has deepened Israel’s diplomatic isolation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out a contrasting path, reiterating Europe’s commitment to a two-state solution. She unveiled fresh plans to back the Palestinian Authority and fund Gaza’s recovery. “We will set up a Palestine Donor Group. Because any future Palestinian State must be viable also from an economic point of view. And we Europeans will set up a dedicated instrument for Gaza’s reconstruction. Gaza must be rebuilt,” she declared.
Von der Leyen added, “When the night is darkest, we must hold fast to our compass, and our compass is the two-state solution. Since the beginning of this war, Europe has been the lifeline of the Palestinian Authority. But we must all do more, and this is why we will set up a Palestine donor group.”
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Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas also addressed the gathering by video link, pressing Hamas and other factions to surrender their weapons to the Palestinian Authority. “The state of Palestine is the only entity eligible to assume full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza,” Abbas said, outlining his plan for an interim administrative committee backed by Arab and international support.
He asserted, “Hamas will have no role in governing” and called for a “unified state without weapons, a state with one law and one legitimate security force.” Abbas linked his vision to the New York Declaration adopted by the UNGA in July, describing it as “the beginning of an irreversible path” towards peace and statehood.
The Palestinian leader pressed for a permanent ceasefire, full humanitarian access through the United Nations, release of hostages and prisoners, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. He stressed, “The declaration stressed that the war against our people must come to an immediate and durable end. It noted that the crimes emanating from the siege, the starvation and destruction cannot be a means of achieving security.”
Abbas condemned both Hamas’s October 7 assault and Israeli policies, denouncing “settlement expansion, annexation, settler violence, and attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites”, which he said posed “a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace”.
The special session, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, saw French President Emmanuel Macron formally confirm France’s recognition of Palestine, further amplifying Europe’s growing divergence from Washington’s stance.
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