The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on Thursday that will allow Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas to address the high‑level session by prerecorded video, following the United States’ decision to deny visas to the PA delegation for a second consecutive year.
The vote passed with 152 countries in favor, four abstentions and three votes against. The countries that voted against the resolution were the United States, Paraguay and Israel.
Abbas will be unable to attend the General Assembly in person because the U.S. State Department has extended visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials. The sanctions were imposed after the PA failed to meet U.S. commitments, including refraining from providing financial support to groups that the United States designates as terrorist organizations and from pursuing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state through international bodies.
U.S. officials said the visa restrictions would remain in place “as a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace.” The State Department also noted that it would continue to allow PA personnel to operate in New York under a waiver that applies to the PA Mission to the United Nations.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, responded to the vote by saying, “As long as Abbas continues his policy of making payments to terrorists and their families, he cannot expect the international community to simply ignore it. Instead of coming to New York, he will send videos. The responsibility for changing this policy is in his hands.”
Abbas had previously sought to reverse the U.S. visa decision during a visit to Ankara, where he asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to raise the matter with President Donald Trump. Despite the appeal, the U.S. maintained its visa restrictions.
The resolution mirrors last year’s arrangement, when Abbas was also denied a U.S. visa and addressed the General Assembly remotely. The new resolution again provides him with the opportunity to deliver his remarks by video.
Article source: www.israelnationalnews.com | Image credit: www.israelnationalnews.com