Mahmoud Abbas considers unilaterally declaring Palestinian statehood at UNGA
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is considering unilaterally announcing the transformation of the PA into a state during the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York in September, London-based outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed reported on Sunday.
The reported declaration is a symbolic step, and was confirmed to the outlet by a Palestinian official.
The move, according to the report, is predicated on a forthcoming constitutional declaration that would define the state's borders and foundations. A constitutional declaration would be announced by Abbas, and would confirm the state's "borders, nature, content, and constitutional foundations until the Palestinian constitution is approved," the report added.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir denounced Abbas's reported decisions, stating that he will appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "with a request to bring immediate operative measures to the next cabinet meeting to dismantle the Palestinian Authority."
"This must be the response to the terrorist Abu Mazen [Abbas]'s fantasies of a 'Palestinian state' - crushing the terror authority he heads," Ben-Gvir added in his post on X/Twitter on Sunday.
Elections for a new Palestinian National Council will be held before the end of the year, Abbas announced in a meeting with the PLO's Executive Committee on July 20.
Abbas's decision aims to 'bolster the international push to recognize the State of Palestine,' according to Palestinian officials, marking an important step toward a necessary shift in the development of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
The new council will comprise a total of 350 members: 200 representatives from the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem, and 150 from outside Israel, in order to create a balanced council that accurately represents the population it is meant to govern.
Participation in the election will require candidates to 'commit to the PLO's political platform, its international obligations, and UN resolutions,' stated the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
France, other nations begin recognizing Palestinian state
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September in a post to X/Twitter.
'True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,' wrote Macron.
'The urgency today is to end the war in Gaza and to provide aid to the civilian population. Peace is possible,' he added.
Other nations, including Canada and the UK, while stating their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, added that recognition was stipulated on reforming the PA and reaching a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.
This is a developing story.
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