Israeli policies threaten 'life and existence' of Palestinians, Abbas tells UN

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly on Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row. Read morePalestinian President Abbas calls on UN General Assembly to 'not allow another Nakba' “The Palestinian people face one of the most dangerous times in its history,” Abbas said, citing long-term military occupation in the West Bank and the war in Gaza. Israel, he said, “has targeted all of the basic necessities of life”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to speak in person early in the afternoon. As Abbas spoke, the Israeli delegations' seats in the General Assembly hall sat vacant. In his speech, Abbas once again implored the international community to take more vigorous action and speak out more loudly against Israel. “How much longer will some states continue to remain silent against Israel or supply it with the weapons it uses against our people? The world has witnessed the tremendous cost in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Abbas said. He added: “What is the international commun...