UN Approves Video Address for Abbas After US Denies Visa

The United Nations General Assembly voted to allow Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his upcoming speech via video link, following the United States' refusal to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation. The resolution passed with 152 member states in favor, three against (the US, Israel, and Paraguay), and four abstentions.

This decision comes after Washington extended visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and senior Palestinian Authority officials, preventing Abbas from attending the General Assembly in person for the second consecutive year. The US State Department stated that the visas were denied because the Palestinian Authority and PLO have not met their commitments to Washington, citing their actions at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, their pursuit of unilateral statehood recognition, and continued payments to terrorists and their families.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, commented that as long as Abbas continues his policy of paying terrorists, he cannot expect the international community to ignore it. Danon added that Abbas's policy changes are in his hands. The US clarified that existing exemptions for the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the UN remain in effect.

Last year, the US also denied Abbas a visa, forcing him to address the General Assembly via video conference.