The Palestinian President’s Pin Annoys Israel

25th September 2025

2 minutes read

The Palestinian President’s Pin Annoys Israel

A small pin worn by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his recorded address to the UN General Assembly has sparked Israel’s displeasure.

Earlier this week, Abbas delivered a speech at the UN’s Two-State Solution Conference via video, after the United States denied him and several other officials entry visas.

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On Thursday, he is scheduled to deliver his main address, also via video, to the UN General Assembly.

In his Monday speech, Abbas appeared wearing a small pin in the shape of a key, a symbol of the Palestinian refugees’ right of return. The gesture drew criticism from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On its X account, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused Abbas of “dangerous duplicity,” stating: “In his address to the UN General Assembly, Abbas wore a ‘key’ pin – a clear symbol of his goal to erase Israel.”

It added: “Abbas seeks his own flood under the guise of two states. His key represents the PLO’s old plan: two states for one Palestinian people and the destruction of the Jewish state. This will not happen.”

In the same speech, Abbas called on Hamas to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, while condemning the group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Not the First Time

This is not the first time the Palestinian president has worn the key emblem. It has been seen on his lapel during previous UN meetings as well as gatherings in Ramallah.

The Key of Return

The “key” remains one of the most powerful symbols of the Palestinian attachment to the right of return to the lands from which they were forcibly displaced in 1948, an event they refer to as the “Nakba.”