Following Washington’s decision to extend visa sanctions barring senior ‘Palestinian Authority’ (‘PA’) and ‘PLO’ figures from entering the United States days ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution on Thursday evening permitting ‘PA’ Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to deliver an address remotely during the high-level debate.
1+Washington’s punitive move follows a precedent set last year, when the State Department similarly refused to issue Abbas an entry visa, preventing his physical presence at UN headquarters. The State Department emphasized that the ‘PLO’ and the ‘Palestinian’ Authority have repeatedly violated their international obligations, pointing to their ongoing unilateral diplomatic lawfare campaigns at the international courts in The Hague, efforts to “internationalize” the conflict, and persistent financial stipends paid to imprisoned terrorists and families of attackers, alongside the ongoing glorification of terror.
Despite resolute opposition from the United States, Israel, and Paraguay against providing an alternative diplomatic platform, Abbas will not attend the gathering in person but will instead broadcast a pre-recorded address screened during the general debate.
1+Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, stated: “As long as Abu Mazen continues the policy of paying salaries to terrorists and their families, he cannot expect the international community to turn a blind eye. Instead of arriving in New York, he will send video recordings. The responsibility to change this policy rests entirely in his hands.” Meanwhile, as Abbas remains confined to a remote screen because of US entry restrictions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel in person to New York to address the UN General Assembly from the podium amid heightened regional security tensions.