Abbas tells UN General Assembly Israeli policies now threaten Palestinians' 'life and existence'

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that Israeli policies no longer merely jeopardize the prospect of a two-state solution but now threaten what he called the 'very life and existence' of the Palestinian people.

Abbas delivered his remarks in a prerecorded video address from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other senior Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering in person, marking the second consecutive year Palestinian leadership has been excluded from appearing in New York in person.

The framing of his speech, which went beyond the familiar language of statehood negotiations to warn of an existential threat, reflects what Palestinian officials describe as a deteriorating situation in the West Bank and Gaza. Abbas has used previous UN addresses to press for wider international recognition of Palestinian statehood and to appeal for enforcement of international law.

The visa denial itself has become a recurring point of friction between Washington and the Palestinian leadership, with critics arguing that excluding Abbas from addressing the assembly in person limits the Palestinian delegation's ability to engage directly with world leaders gathered in New York.

Abbas's address adds to a broader set of statements from world leaders at this year's General Assembly session addressing the unresolved conflict and its consequences for civilians in the region.