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Short answer
In his UN address Abbas claimed to reject antisemitism, yet he is a Holocaust denier who blamed Jews for their own genocide and spread vile antisemitic conspiracy theories. He spoke of recognition, yet he has denied the Jewish people’s historic connection to their homeland, while the PLO charter still calls for Israel’s elimination. He spoke of peace and rejecting violence, while his regime incites terrorism through “Pay for Slay”.
He spoke of democracy, yet he has refused to hold elections for over 20 years. Even his supposed rejection of Hamas’s atrocities is a farce, as Fatah leaders praised the October 7 massacre. His UN speech was not about peace and coexistence, but about deception, denial, and continuing the PLO’s decades-old Phased Plan to bring about Israel’s elimination. Bottom line: Abbas has no credibility — his words at the UN contradict decades of actions and ideology.
Long answer
In his UN address, Mahmoud Abbas claimed to reject antisemitism, but his own record proves the opposite. He has long been a Holocaust denier, arguing that Jews were never murdered simply for being Jews, even claiming the victims of the Holocaust “brought it on themselves” through their behavior. He has spread vile conspiracy theories and portrayed Hitler as motivated by Jewish “usury” rather than antisemitism. This is not rejection of antisemitism, it is its embodiment.
Abbas also spoke of “recognition,” but the Palestinian Authority has never recognized Israel as the Jewish state. He boasted that in 1988 and 1993 the Palestinians recognized Israel, but this is false. The 1988 declaration was deliberately vague, avoiding recognition of Israel’s right to exist. In 1993, Arafat promised recognition, but the PLO charter clauses calling for Israel’s destruction were never legally amended, only “suspended” in speeches. To this day, the charter still calls for Israel’s elimination, and the foundational goal of erasing the Jewish state remains unchanged.
He also claimed to want peace and a modern civil state, but his regime funds terrorists through the notorious “Pay for Slay” program. Palestinian Authority schools spread antisemitic lies in UN-funded textbooks, erase Israel from maps, and glorify “martyrdom” to children. His government-controlled media praises jihad and portrays all of Israel as occupied land “from the river to the sea.” Far from building a culture of peace, Abbas presides over a machine of incitement.
He spoke of democracy, but Abbas has clung to power for over 20 years without elections. He insists he represents the Palestinian people while silencing dissent and ruling as an unelected dictator. His claim of rejecting violence is equally hollow: after Oslo, the PA did not renounce terror but launched the Second Intifada, which killed over a thousand Israelis.
Even his supposed rejection of Hamas is a farce. He declared Hamas would have no role in government, but in reality Hamas refuses to disarm and sees Abbas as an obstacle to seizing the Palestinian Authority. Abbas claimed to condemn the October 7 massacre, yet Fatah leaders praised it and Abbas himself said it had “achieved important goals.” On October 7 and the days that followed, PA statements stressed Palestinians’ “right to defend themselves” rather than condemning the slaughter, rape, and kidnappings of civilians. The truth is clear: Abbas’s speech was not about peace or coexistence but a PR stunt crafted for Western audiences. His gestures toward peace are hollow, contradicted by decades of incitement, terrorism, and denial of Jewish history. His talk of “rights” and “recognition” echoes the PLO’s Phased Plan — a long-term strategy to dismantle Israel diplomatically after failing to destroy it militarily.
This was not a call for reform or reconciliation. It was a performance of deception, denial, and doublespeak, continuing the same agenda that Fatah and Hamas share: the elimination of Israel.
