PA’s Abbas calls on Hamas to release captives, lay down arms

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has voiced support for Hamas “laying down its arms” and “ending its rule in Gaza” as part of a future Palestinian state, according to a message he sent to French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a United Nations conference on the two-state solution, the Élysée Palace said.

In the letter, dated Monday and also addressed to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will co-chair the conference in New York from June 17 to 21, Abbas said he is “ready to invite Arab and international forces to deploy as part of a stabilization/protection mission under a UN Security Council mandate.”

He added that a future Palestinian state “has no intention of becoming a military state and is ready to work toward security arrangements that benefit all parties, as long as it enjoys international protection.”

Referring to Oct. 7, 2023, Abbas wrote that “what Hamas did in October 2023 from killing and kidnapping civilians is unacceptable,” and called on the group to “immediately release all hostages.”

The Élysée welcomed what it described as concrete and unprecedented commitments, showing a genuine desire to move toward the implementation of a two-state solution.

France aims to use the upcoming UN conference as a turning point to revive momentum toward the two-state solution, a move the “Israeli” government opposes.

Macron, who will travel to New York on June 18, has said he is “determined” to recognize a Palestinian state, but only under certain conditions, including the “disarmament” of Hamas and its exclusion from future governance.

In his message, Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the Palestinian Authority and stated his intention to hold “presidential and legislative elections within a year” under international supervision.

“We are ready to fully play our part in promoting a credible and irreversible path toward ending the occupation and establishing an independent, sovereign State of Palestine, through a clear timeline and strong international guarantees,” he wrote.