The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas to address next week’s high-level session by prerecorded video after the United States again denied visas to the PA delegation.
The resolution passed with 152 countries voting in favor, four abstaining and three voting against - the United States, Paraguay and Israel.
The measure follows Washington’s decision to extend visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials, preventing Abbas from attending the General Assembly in person for a second consecutive year.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in response to the vote, “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."
The State Department said Wednesday that the sanctions were being extended because the Palestinian Authority had failed to meet commitments to the United States. Washington cited US legislation barring the PA from targeting Israel through international organizations, pursuing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, providing stipends to terrorists and glorifying violence.
“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 United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials," the State Department said.
At the same time, Washington said it would continue a waiver allowing personnel from the PA Mission to the UN to operate in New York despite the broader visa restrictions.
The decision repeats last year’s arrangement, when Abbas was also denied a US visa and subsequently addressed the General Assembly remotely. The newly approved resolution again provides him with the opportunity to deliver his remarks by video.
Abbas had sought to reverse the US decision this year. During a visit to Ankara last month, he asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to raise the matter with President Donald Trump. Erdogan, who has described Trump as a “good friend," later spoke with the US president by phone. The continued US visa restrictions indicate that the appeal did not lead to a change in Washington’s position.