The Debate Continues
The UN Wants a Palestinian State. The US Just Shut Down the President
US denies visas to Mahmoud Abbas and PA delegation for UN General Assembly address, forcing remote speech amid growing international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) via video this week after the United States denied him and his delegation visas. The move, according to US and Israeli officials, was a direct result of the PA and PLO's continued push for "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state and their alleged failure to condemn terrorism.
The decision forced Abbas to speak remotely from the Palestinian Authority's headquarters.
In his speech, Abbas reiterated the PA's commitment to peace and its renunciation of terrorism. "We amended our National Charter, and we rejected violence and terrorism, and we adopted a culture of peace," he said. He added that the PA has worked to build "a modern, civilian state, free of violence and extremism" that can live "side by side in peace and security with Israel."
Despite these claims, Abbas accused Israel of systematically undermining peace efforts.
"Israel did not adhere to the signed agreements, and has worked systematically on undermining them," he stated.
The address comes as a growing number of countries, including France, the UK, Canada, and Portugal, have formally recognized Palestinian statehood amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. Other nations are expected to follow their lead.
Palestinian Statehood at the UN
Although the "State of Palestine" holds observer status at the UN, it does not have voting rights. Full UN membership would require the approval of the Security Council, where the United States, Israel's primary ally, has long held a veto. The U.S. has consistently maintained that it supports the goal of a Palestinian state but believes it can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition.
The Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas's Fatah movement, exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank. Hamas has administered the Gaza Strip since 2007.