The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, 18 September 2026, passed a resolution by an overwhelming 152-3 margin to allow Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas to address the UN high-level meeting next week via video link, after the United States refused to grant him a visa to travel to New York. India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution. Only the US, Israel, and Paraguay voted against, with four countries formally abstaining.

The Visa Denial and Washington's Stance

US Deputy Permanent Representative Tammy Bruce defended the decision, squarely framing it in terms of counter-terrorism policy. 'We will not relent on our insistence that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organisation, which controls the Authority] completely and unequivocally renounce terrorism,' she said, adding, 'They have not yet done so.'

Notably, Washington has extended visas to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to attend the same session — even as the US-Iran war enters its seventh month. Critics have pointed to this contrast as a sign of selective application of host-country obligations.

Palestine's Response at the UN

Palestine's Permanent Observer Riyad Mansour pushed back firmly, reiterating his delegation's commitment to Israel's right to exist 'in peace and security' alongside Palestine. 'The fact that we were denied visas does not mean that the big elephant in the United Nations, the Palestinian people and their leadership, are not present,' he said. 'They are present front and centre.' Mansour went further, calling for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital, and described the Israeli presence in Palestinian territory as an 'illegal occupation.'

International Criticism of the US Decision

China and Russia joined Palestine in criticising Washington's visa refusal, arguing that the US, as the UN host nation, holds a treaty obligation to facilitate the travel of diplomats and government officials conducting UN business. Last month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres' Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric had publicly called on the US to fulfil those obligations: 'Our call and our hope remain that the host country will fulfil its obligations under the host treaty agreement, which is meant to facilitate the travels into New York City... for people having business, diplomats and Government officials having business in front of the United Nations,' he said. Significantly, all Western countries ultimately voted for the resolution, underscoring the diplomatic isolation of Washington and Israel on this issue.

A Recurring Pattern of Exclusion

This marks the second consecutive year that Abbas has been compelled to address the General Assembly by video after a US visa denial. Palestine holds observer status at the UN and is not recognised as a sovereign state by Washington. The episode comes against the backdrop of an intensifying international debate over Palestinian statehood, and amplifies calls — including from a large majority of the UN membership — for a negotiated two-state resolution.

What Happens Next

Abbas is now expected to address the high-level meeting via video link in the coming days. The passage of this resolution with near-universal support signals growing multilateral frustration with the US position, and is likely to feature prominently in diplomatic discourse at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly week. Whether Washington faces any formal consequences for the alleged breach of its host-country treaty obligations remains to be seen.