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NEW YORK: The United \u200cNations General Assembly voted on Thursday to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the annual gathering of \u200bworld leaders next week via video \u2014 for the second year in a row \u2014 after the United States again denied him a visa to travel to New York.<\/p>\n
The resolution received 152 votes in favor and three votes against, while four countries abstained. It also allows Abbas and any \u200cother high-level Palestinian \u200cofficials to take part in \u200bUN \u200cmeetings \u2060or \u200bconferences via \u2060video over the next year if they are prevented from traveling to the United States.<\/p>\n
The US said last year that Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by its decision to deny and revoke visas from members \u2060of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and \u200cthe West Bank-based Palestinian \u200cAuthority. Washington announced on Wednesday that \u200bit had extended \u200cthe visa bans.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the PA wants to be \u200ctreated as a partner, it must stop subsidizing terror and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance,\u201d Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy \u200cBruce told the assembly before the vote.<\/p>\n
Without naming specific officials, the \u2060US State \u2060Department said on Wednesday it would extend visa sanctions against Palestinian officials over actions they took to \u201cinternationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,\u201d including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals.<\/p>\n
A Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Abbas\u2019 visa had been denied.<\/p>\n
Under a 1947 UN \u201cheadquarters agreement,\u201d the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. \u200bHowever, Washington has \u200bsaid it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n