Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pledged today to swiftly extradite a Palestinian man, Hisham Harb, who was arrested in September in the West Bank and is suspected of overseeing the commando responsible for the anti-Semitic attack in 1982 on Rue des Rosiers in Paris, which killed six people.

“The legal proceedings related to the extradition have reached their final stage. Only some technical details remain, which are being handled by the competent authorities of both countries,” the Palestinian leader said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper, published hours before his meeting with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

Abbas confirmed that the Palestinian Authority is ready to “extradite the wanted person, as France’s recognition of the ‘State of Palestine’ has created a suitable framework for this French request.”

Hissam Harb’s arrest was announced on September 19, days before France formally recognized the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly.

The 70-year-old suspect, against whom an international arrest warrant was issued ten years ago, is one of six men brought to trial in late July before a special criminal court in Paris for the attack at the Jo Goldenberg restaurant and the surrounding area.

The Elysee Palace clarified yesterday Monday that “there is no legal problem” with this extradition, but rather “a question of expediency,” adding that Paris continues to work with the Palestinian Authority to ensure that the extradition can take place.

In this interview with Le Figaro, the Palestinian president reiterated some of the commitments he has made in recent months as part of international efforts to restore peace in the Gaza Strip and consolidate the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, reached on October 9 with the mediation of US President Donald Trump.

Mahmoud Abbas confirmed that “Hamas will have no government role in Gaza”. He added that Palestinian forces are ready to deploy there in coordination with a multinational force as defined by the US peace plan.

It also stated its readiness to hold “general elections, both presidential and parliamentary, within a year of the end of the war,” without explicitly confirming that they will be held in 2026.