UN General Assembly backs video address by Abbas after US denies visa again

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the annual gathering of world leaders by video for the second consecutive year, after the United States again denied him a visa to travel to New York. According to Arab News, the resolution received 152 votes in favour, three against and four abstentions. The vote followed a US State Department statement on Wednesday that it would extend visa sanctions on members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, a decision that Washington said stemmed from what it described as their failure to reform and their activities that undermine prospects for peace. A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Arab News that Abbas's visa had been denied; a source familiar with the matter also confirmed to AFP, cited by Africanews and Deutsche Welle, that Abbas was covered by the measure.

The US State Department said on Wednesday that the PLO and PA had "once again, failed to live up to their commitments," citing what it called actions to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, efforts to obtain unilateral recognition rather than pursue negotiations, continued payments of stipends to terrorists, and the glorification of terrorism in public statements and school textbooks. The Jerusalem Post reported that the department said it had reported to Congress that the PLO and PA had failed to meet commitments under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002, and that an existing waiver was maintained for personnel formally assigned to the PLO Observer Mission to the UN.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the decision was "an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian–US relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability." It also expressed astonishment at what it called the US statement's disregard for reforms it said the State of Palestine had carried out, which it listed as changes to the social welfare system and reforms in the financial, administrative, educational and legal fields "according to clear, transparent, and verifiable mechanisms." According to Africanews, the United States and Israel have objected to the PA's historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis; the PA recently reformed the system to allocate welfare payments on a needs basis rather than by political affiliation or prisoner status.

Before the General Assembly vote, Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce told the assembly: "If the PA wants to be treated as a partner, it must stop subsidizing terror and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance." The United States said last year that Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by its decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, according to Arab News, and Washington announced on Wednesday that it had extended the visa bans.

Deutsche Welle and Arab News noted that under a 1947 UN "headquarters agreement," the United States is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York, but Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons. The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the UN, is not a full member and has no vote in the General Assembly; it holds observer state status, the same as the Vatican, Deutsche Welle reported. The Jerusalem Post said several UN members recognised a Palestinian state at the UN last year, a move that Africanews said put the United States at odds with numerous countries including France.

Arab News reported that the resolution also allows Abbas and any other high-level Palestinian officials to take part in UN meetings or conferences by video over the next year if they are prevented from travelling to the United States. The Jerusalem Post reported that a similar measure adopted last September, after Washington denied visas to Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials, passed by 145 votes to five with six abstentions, with Israel and the US among the countries voting against, and that it applied only to the 80th session and stated explicitly that it should not set a precedent for future General Assembly debates or high-level meetings, meaning new authorisation was required for this year's 81st session. The Jerusalem Post described last year's arrangement as exceptional, since Palestinian representatives should ordinarily be able to attend UN meetings in New York in person, and said Abbas ultimately addressed the General Assembly by video last September.

Where sources differ

• The status of the General Assembly vote differs between sources: Arab News reports the resolution was adopted on Thursday by 152 votes to three, with four abstentions, while The Jerusalem Post, in a report dated the same day and updated that evening, states that the UN "is expected to vote" on the measure and that it was not immediately clear whether the US would seek to challenge it or simply vote against it.
• Vote figures given by the sources refer to different measures: Arab News gives 152-3 with four abstentions for the current resolution, while The Jerusalem Post cites 145-5 with six abstentions for the resolution adopted last September; no source gives a vote count for the other year's measure.
• The sources differ on how the visa denial for Abbas was confirmed: Arab News cites a Palestinian official speaking on condition of anonymity, Africanews and Deutsche Welle cite a source familiar with the case speaking to AFP, and The Jerusalem Post says US and Palestinian officials confirmed the denial this week.

• No source establishes how many Palestinian officials are affected by this year's extension of visa sanctions, or whether any figure comparable to the roughly 80 Palestinians cited for last year applies.
• It is not established whether the United States intends to contest the General Assembly resolution, abstain, or merely vote against it; The Jerusalem Post says this was not immediately clear.
• No source contains a direct statement from Mahmoud Abbas himself; his position is conveyed only through the Palestinian foreign ministry and unnamed officials.
• No comment is reported from France or from the other UN members that recognised a Palestinian state last year, though several sources reference that recognition.
• None of the sources gives the full text of the current resolution, and none confirms whether it, like last year's measure, is limited to a single session or explicitly non-precedential.
• No comment is reported from the UN Secretariat, the Secretary-General, or the General Assembly presidency.
• The sources do not establish the exact date or sequencing of the State Department's Wednesday statement relative to the General Assembly vote beyond both occurring within the same week.

1. Arab News — original — by Reuters
2. Africanews — by [email protected]
3. Deutsche Welle — by Mahima Kapoor
4. The Jerusalem Post — by IDAN KWELLER

Read the original at Arab News

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