UN backs Abbas video address after US visa refusal
The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address next week’s high-level debate by pre-recorded video after the United States refused to issue visas for Palestine’s delegation.
The UN General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address next week’s high-level debate by pre-recorded video after the United States refused to issue visas for Palestine’s delegation.
The resolution was passed with 145 in favour, five against (Israel, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, and the United States) and six abstentions (Albania, Fiji, Hungary, North Macedonia, Panama, and Papua New Guinea).
It sets out procedures for the delivery of pre-recorded statements, authorising President Abbas to submit his address via video in the General Assembly Hall, introduced by one of Palestine’s New York-based representatives.
The measure also allows for statements via a live link or pre-recorded video to the high-level conference taking place on the two-State solution, and other high-level meetings.
The arrangements apply only to the current 80th session.
In another action, the 193-member Assembly adopted without a vote a Saudi Arabian-proposed decision allowing the Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, to deliver a statement by video or pre-recorded message at the high-level conference on 22 September 2025.
The US Department of State announced on 29 August that it was denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority on national security grounds, stating that they had failed to comply with past commitments, and “for undermining the prospects for peace.”
© UN News (2025) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: UN News
Where next?
Browse related news topics:
Read the latest news stories:
- WHO verifies deadly hospital attack in war-torn Sudan Saturday, March 21, 2026
- War in the Middle East: Iran nuclear facility hit as equivalent of ‘one classroom of children’ killed, wounded daily in Lebanon Saturday, March 21, 2026
- When justice fails: Why women can’t get protection from AI deepfake abuse Saturday, March 21, 2026
- Europe and Multilateralism Friday, March 20, 2026
- Sudanese Civil War Escalates as Drone Strikes Deepen Civilian Toll and Regional Risks Friday, March 20, 2026
- TB Risk Should not Depend on Where We Are Born Friday, March 20, 2026
- Running on Sunshine: Pakistan’s Solar Boom to Tide Over Middle East Energy Crisis Friday, March 20, 2026
- How a Handful of Fishers Show How Harpooning Can Be an Ecologically Sustainable Friday, March 20, 2026
- My Name is Dhaka Friday, March 20, 2026
- International Tensions Spark New Nuclear Threat Friday, March 20, 2026
Learn more about the related issues: