Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed regret over the U.S. government's decision not to issue a visa for Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority. This decision, made for the second consecutive year, will prevent Abbas from attending the UN General Assembly.
Visa Restrictions for Palestinian Officials
The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday that visas for Abbas and other Palestinian officials will not be issued for the upcoming General Assembly session. In this session, which begins on Tuesday, only members of the Palestinian representation at the United Nations will be able to participate.
According to Guterres' spokesperson, this decision negatively impacts the Palestinian government's ability to fully participate in UN activities. He added, "The full participation of all delegations in the work of the United Nations is essential for its proper functioning."
Global Impacts and Recent Developments
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has called on the United States, as the host country, to ensure that visas are issued to all delegations in accordance with its commitments. Guterres has previously emphasized in a message to the United States that the refusal to issue a visa hinders the active participation of the Palestinian government in the General Assembly.
The previous U.S. administration also did not issue visas for Palestinian representatives last year, which forced Abbas to deliver his speech via video. The General Assembly voted 152 to 3 on Thursday in favor of this decision, allowing Abbas to participate virtually in this session.
The United States and Israel object to the historical payments made by the Palestinian Authority to the families of Palestinians who are imprisoned or killed, including those accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis. The Palestinian Authority has recently reformed this system and allocated welfare payments based on need rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.
According to statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 1,109 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank since the attack on October 7, 2023. In response to this violence, Israel has carried out repeated attacks on the Gaza Strip, which, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, has resulted in over 73,821 deaths in these attacks.
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