Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Thursday against what he described as the risk of “another Nakba” in Gaza and the West Bank, while calling for faster implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan.

Abbas addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly through a pre-recorded video from Ramallah after the United States denied him and other senior Palestinian officials visas to attend the meeting in New York in person for a second consecutive year.

“The Palestinian people face one of the most dangerous times in its history,” Abbas said, according to the Associated Press, referring to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. He accused Israeli forces of causing killing, destruction and starvation in Gaza and of attempting to displace Palestinians.

Abbas described the situation in Gaza as a “genocidal war” and called on the international community to prevent what he described as another mass displacement and massacre. The characterisation was part of his political assessment of the conflict and was not presented as an independent finding in the speech.

He also warned of developments in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, accusing Israel of accelerating settlement expansion and saying settler violence was increasing. Abbas cited land confiscations, home demolitions, checkpoints and raids as factors threatening the prospects for a Palestinian state.

“The danger is no longer limited to undermining the two-state solution and preventing the realisation of a Palestinian state,” Abbas said, according to the Times of Israel. He warned that the situation threatened the future of Palestinians on their homeland and urged international intervention.

The Palestinian president also criticised Washington for preventing his delegation from attending the UN in person, arguing that the restrictions conflicted with US obligations as host country. The United States has defended the visa restrictions, citing its concerns over Palestinian actions at international courts and other policies; Washington says exceptions to access obligations can apply on security and foreign-policy grounds.

On 17 September, the General Assembly voted 152-3, with four abstentions, to allow Abbas to address the high-level debate through a pre-recorded statement. The resolution also allows senior Palestinian officials to participate virtually in UN meetings over the following year if they are prevented from travelling to the United States.

Abbas called for the United States to work with the Palestinians and other countries to implement a two-state solution based on international resolutions. He also said the Palestinian leadership had welcomed US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan but had yet to see its provisions implemented on the ground.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen [the plan to rebuild Gaza] materialise on the ground,” Abbas said, according to the Times of Israel. He called for the transitional arrangements for Gaza to lead to its reunification with the West Bank and East Jerusalem under Palestinian institutions.

The United Nations said this year’s General Assembly debate is being held under the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.” The high-level meetings began on 22 September in New York.