The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to participate remotely in its meetings after the United States refused to grant him a visa to enter New York and attend the meetings in person.
The resolution received the support of 152 countries, while 3 countries opposed it and 4 abstained.
Abbas to address General Assembly by video
Under the resolution, Mahmoud Abbas will be able to address the high-level meetings of the General Assembly through a prerecorded video message, despite being unable to travel to New York.
The resolution also allows senior Palestinian officials to participate remotely in some UN meetings over the coming year if they are unable to travel.
The United States, Israel and Paraguay oppose the resolution
The United States, Israel and Paraguay voted against the resolution, while Colombia, Honduras, Panama and Peru abstained.
The General Assembly therefore adopted the resolution by a large majority of 152 votes to 3.
Washington refuses to grant Abbas a visa
The General Assembly's decision came after the continued US restrictions on visas for officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, preventing Mahmoud Abbas and several Palestinian officials from attending the meetings in New York in person.
The US State Department justified its position by citing issues related to the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments and its actions at international institutions and courts concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For its part, the Palestinian leadership rejected the US decision and criticized the restrictions imposed on its officials' participation in UN meetings.
Video participation for the second year
Mahmoud Abbas also addressed the United Nations General Assembly remotely last year after failing to obtain a US visa.
Under the new resolution, Abbas will participate by video in the General Assembly's high-level meetings for the second consecutive year.
The high-level general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to begin in New York on September 22.
