Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not be able to attend next week’s session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in person, after the United States denied him a visa. The General Assembly therefore voted on granting him permission to address the session by video instead, meaning Abbas will address the annual gathering of world leaders remotely for a second consecutive year. The resolution passed on Thursday by 152 votes to three, with four countries abstaining.
Under the resolution, Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials will be able to participate in various UN meetings and conferences by video over the next year if they are unable to travel to the United States. Last year, Washington decided to deny visas to Palestinian officials and revoke previously issued ones, a decision that affected roughly 80 Palestinians, including members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA). On Wednesday, the US said it had extended the visa restrictions on them further.
Speaking at the General Assembly before the vote, US deputy ambassador to the UN, Tammy Bruce, said: “If the PA wants to be considered a partner, it must stop financing terrorism and stop the diplomatic theatrics as a substitute for serious governance.” The US State Department said on Wednesday that visa restrictions had been extended on some Palestinian officials, who are accused of trying to “internationalise” the Israel-Palestine conflict, including by filing cases against Israel at international tribunals. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian official confirmed that Abbas’s visa had been denied.
Under the UN’s 1947 “Headquarters Agreement,” the United States is generally required to ensure foreign diplomats can enter the country to take part in UN activities in New York. Washington, however, maintains it retains the right to deny a visa to any individual on security, extremism or foreign-policy grounds.