Mahmoud Abbas Says Palestinians In Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem Are In Same Trench

Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine and Chairman of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement Fatah, said Palestinian leadership and people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the camps of the diaspora are in the same trench against plots to liquidate the Palestinian national cause.

In a message of solidarity and steadfastness to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Abbas said, "We are in the same trench with you, and with us are our people in the West Bank and Jerusalem and in the camps of exile," while stressing continued defense of the right of return and compensation in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194.

Al-Jazeera Net

Abbas said the next phase requires hard work and high responsibility, and that what is required is to move to implement the second phase of President Trump’s plan, including the Israeli withdrawal and the start of the recovery and reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip.

He also said he is ready to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and emphasized mobilizing support from brothers, friends, and partners in the international coalition to implement a two-state solution in accordance with resolutions of international legitimacy and the New York Declaration.

WAFA said the remarks came during the opening of the inaugural session of the elected Revolutionary Council of Fatah at the presidency headquarters in Ramallah, with concurrent participation from Gaza, Cairo, and Beirut.

Mahmoud Abbas hailed French recognition of a Palestinian state as "a victory" for his "people," saying the decision reflects France's commitment to support the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights to their land and homeland.

In a statement, Abbas congratulated, on Friday, July 25, the announcement by Emmanuel Macron of France's upcoming recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, in New York.

Al-Quds Al-Arabi

The Franceinfo account said Israel denounced the move as a "reward for terror," while Hamas hailed it as a "positive step," and it quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, "Let us be clear: the Palestinians are not seeking to obtain a state beside Israel, they seek a state in place of Israel,".

The same account attributed a response to French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said, "By recognizing Palestine, France proves this terrorist movement wrong," and framed the decision as taking the side of peace against the side of war.

The Franceinfo piece also stated that to date at least 142 states have recognized a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

WAFA reported that on June 11, 2026, President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to continuing the implementation of the national reform program, including strengthening governance, transparency and the rule of law.

Abbas said preparations are underway to hold elections for the Palestinian National Council next November, including general legislative elections in the Palestinian territories and abroad, and he added that presidential elections would follow in the coming year.

In the same speech, Abbas said the Palestinian people are facing systematic efforts aimed at undermining the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, alongside ongoing Israeli violations of international law including settlement expansion, settler violence, annexation attempts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the withholding of Palestinian revenues.

He also expressed readiness to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and emphasized advancing Palestinian unity through adherence to the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people under the principle of one authority, one law and one legitimate weapon.

WAFA said Abbas addressed the people of Gaza by affirming unity with Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the diaspora in facing efforts to undermine the national cause and achieve an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.