US Blocks Palestinian Leader from UN Meeting

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is the main platform for countries to speak. No country should stop another from using its podium.

But the United States (US) at the current UNGA decided that the Palestinian State will not be heard. Only the voice of Israel will be allowed. They denied Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to enter the US, effectively stopping a Head of State from attending the UNGA.

The US chose to block the Palestinian state from UNGA because it took legal steps against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Palestinian case at these courts questions the legality of Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. It also addresses Israel’s settlement policies, which lead to the theft of Palestinian lands and serious violations of international laws.

Another reason the US gave is that the PA continues to provide financial support to families of its citizens convicted by the secretive Israeli courts. The US sees this as glorifying or supporting terrorism.

The ICC, while looking into war crimes by Israel against the Palestinian people, issued arrest warrants on November 21, 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. So, the US seems to be retaliating against the Palestinians for this ICC decision.

The US denying President Abbas and the Palestinian delegation visas for UNGA is a serious violation of the UN-USA Headquarters Agreement signed on June 26, 1947, and approved by UNGA on October 31, 1947. The Agreement, signed by then UN Secretary-General Trygve Lie and former US Secretary of State George C Marshall, states that the US must issue visas to state delegations and UN representatives promptly and without cost.

Section 11 of the Agreement says: “The federal, state or local authorities of the United States shall not impose any impediments to transit to or from the headquarters district…” for these officials.

Sections 12 and 13 add that: “The provisions of Section 11 shall be applicable irrespective of the relations existing between the Governments of the persons referred to in that section and the Government of the United States.” It says that US laws on entering foreigners should not interfere with these privileges. When visas are needed, they should be granted as quickly as possible and without charge.

For UNGA, this was not the time to discuss the US breaking the Agreement or to demand that the UN headquarters be moved to a friendlier country. What mattered was to hear him. So, it was suggested that Abbas could be heard via video link.

But even this upset the US, which urged UNGA not to accept this compromise. US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Tammy Bruce said: “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.” She added: “We will not relent on our insistence that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organisation] completely and unequivocally renounce terrorism. They have not yet done so.”

When the vote happened, 152 countries supported the resolution while only three countries backed the US position: Paraguay, the US, and Israel. Four countries abstained: Panama, Honduras, Peru, and Colombia.

So, the world listened to the Palestinian leader who called the Israeli war in Palestine genocide. He urged people to act and not just stand by. Abbas said the Israeli attacks and military occupation of Palestine must end. He suggested a permanent solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live peacefully in their own countries with security.

In contrast to how President Abbas was treated, the US welcomed Prime Minister Netanyahu. But UNGA did not welcome him. When he started to speak, 77 delegations walked out instead of listening to a man with an international arrest warrant. He had to speak to a nearly empty hall.

But he failed to see the situation clearly. Instead of making Israel's case, he complained about how Israel and its allies have been eliminating people and destroying countries. He said: “Half the Houthi leadership in Yemen, gone. Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, gone. Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, gone. The Assad regime in Syria, gone. Those Militias in Iraq? Well, they’re still deterred. And their leaders, if they attack Israel, will also be gone. And for Iran’s top military commanders and its top nuclear scientists… Well, they’re gone too.”

When President Trump arrived at UN Headquarters on September 22, it felt like a show. He had banned CNN from the White House and seemed unaware that the UN is not US territory, so his ban didn’t matter there.

He told the news channel: “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me.” CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins responded: “The United Nations allowed us in, sir.” The answer was clear; Trump does not control the UN.

Acting like he was in charge, Trump told UNGA about his plans for Iran: “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic?… Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”

But Iran is not a country to intimidate or back down. Its President Masoud Pezeshkian said they will fight to the end: “The United States president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism. Are we the sources of instability? We only seek to live independently. We are the ones who cause instability? Those who are committing terrorism and committing crimes, are they the protectors of peace and stability?”

On the sidelines, the US and Iran held a three-hour meeting. Maybe this shows that impunity and bullying will not win in the end.