The United Nations on Thursday approved a resolution allowing Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine, to address the annual gathering of world leaders via video. This decision was made for the second consecutive year after the United States once again denied his travel visa to New York.
Details of the Voting and Resolution Approval
The resolution was adopted with 152 votes in favor and 3 against, while 4 countries abstained from voting. This action also allows Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials to participate in UN meetings and conferences throughout the next year via video, should they be barred from traveling to the United States.
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The Position of the United States and Palestinian Reactions
The U.S. government announced last year that Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by its decision to deny and revoke visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials. Washington also announced on Wednesday that it has extended these visa bans.
Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told the General Assembly before the vote: "If the Palestinian Authority wants to be recognized as a partner, it must stop funding terrorism and focus on serious governance instead of using diplomatic theatrics." These remarks were met with negative reactions from Palestinian officials. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the UN, rejected and condemned this U.S. action.
Consequences of the U.S. Decision
The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday, without naming specific officials, that it would continue to extend visa sanctions against Palestinian officials. These sanctions are due to actions they have taken to "internationalize the Israel-Palestine conflict," including pursuing cases against Israel in international courts.
A Palestinian official, who requested anonymity, confirmed that Abbas's visa was denied. According to the UN's "Headquarters" agreement from 1947, the United States is generally obligated to allow foreign diplomats access to the UN in New York. However, Washington has stated that it can deny visas for security, extremism, and foreign policy reasons.
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