Visa Denied Again, Palestinian President Abbas Addresses UN Leaders Via Prerecorded Video

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN General Assembly through a prerecorded video on Thursday after the United States denied him a visa to attend the annual gathering in New York for the second consecutive year.

Speaking from his office in Ramallah, the 90-year-old Abbas said the Palestinian people were facing “one of the most dangerous times” in their history, pointing to the war in Gaza and Israel’s long-running military occupation of the West Bank. He accused Israel of targeting basic necessities of life and urged the international community to take stronger action to protect Palestinians.

The United States had also denied visas to other senior Palestinian officials. Washington said the restrictions were linked to what it described as the Palestinian leadership’s failure to implement reforms and activities that undermine prospects for peace. The UN General Assembly had earlier approved allowing Abbas to address the gathering through video despite his inability to travel to New York.

Abbas called for renewed international efforts toward a two-state solution, while insisting that Gaza could not remain politically separate from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. He said the Palestinian territories should ultimately be governed under “one state, one government, one law” and legitimate Palestinian institutions.

His address came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to speak to the assembly in person. Abbas also criticised continued international military support for Israel and asked how long countries would remain silent over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

The unusual format again highlighted Abbas’ increasingly complicated diplomatic position. The Palestinian Authority remains the internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people, but its influence over events in Gaza has been limited since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

Abbas was elected president in 2005 for a four-year term, but the Palestinian Authority has not held presidential or legislative elections since 2006. It administers parts of the occupied West Bank and depends heavily on foreign aid.

The Palestinian leadership has also been largely sidelined from discussions over Gaza’s post-war future, with a transition process backed by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace taking centre stage. Abbas has nevertheless argued that any lasting settlement must reunify Gaza with the West Bank and East Jerusalem and preserve a political path towards Palestinian statehood.