UN approves Mahmoud Abbas video address after US visa denial

UN approves Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s request to speak at the UN General Assembly by video, after the US denied his visa to New York for the second year in a row.

Abbas will be permitted to deliver a pre-recorded statement that will be played during the UN's General Debate.

The resolution received an overwhelming majority with only three dissenting votes: the US, Israel, and Paraguay. Colombia, Honduras, Panama, and Peru abstained.

The US denied Abbas' visa due to the PA's support for terrorism. "If the PA wants to be treated as a partner, it must stop subsidizing terror and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance," Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said before the vote.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said, "As long as Abbas continues his policy of making payments to terrorists and their families, he cannot expect the international community to simply ignore it. Instead of coming to New York, he will send videos. The responsibility for changing this policy is in his hands."

The US is typically required to allow foreign leaders to attend the UN General Assembly; however the US has denied visas for security, extremism, and foreign policy reasons.