The United Nations General Assembly has voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its annual gathering of world leaders via video, after the United States again denied him a visa to travel to New York.
Reuters reported that the resolution, passed on Thursday, received 152 votes in favour, three against and four abstentions. It will also allow Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials to participate virtually in UN meetings and conferences over the next year if they are unable to travel to the US.
This is the second consecutive year that Abbas has been unable to address the UN General Assembly in person because of US visa restrictions.
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Washington said last year that Abbas and around 80 other Palestinians would be affected by its decision to deny or revoke visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. The US extended those visa restrictions on Wednesday.
Before the vote, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said the Palestinian Authority must "stop subsidizing terror and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance" if it wants to be treated as a partner.
Palestinian leaders rejected the US move. Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour condemned the decision before the General Assembly, according to Reuters.
The US State Department said the extended visa restrictions were linked to actions by Palestinian officials to "internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict", including pursuing cases against Israel before international tribunals.
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Reuters reported that a Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Abbas' visa had been denied.
Under a 1947 UN headquarters agreement, the US is generally required to facilitate access for foreign diplomats attending the United Nations in New York. Washington, however, maintains that visas can be denied on security, extremism and foreign-policy grounds, Reuters reported.
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