UN General Assembly backs Palestinian participation; Abbas to address session by video

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a resolution Thursday calling on the US to immediately reverse its decision preventing the Palestinian delegation from participating in person in the 81st session, according to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry said 152 countries voted in favor of the resolution, describing the US decision as a clear violation of the UN Headquarters Agreement.

It said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would deliver his address to the General Assembly by video at the scheduled date and time.

The ministry thanked countries that sponsored and supported the resolution, saying the vote represented a rejection of attempts to prevent Palestine from taking part in the General Assembly.

Washington earlier Thursday extended visa restrictions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), preventing Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials from attending the high-level meetings in New York in person.

The US State Department said the restrictions were linked to what it described as the Palestinian leadership’s failure to meet commitments and actions that undermine prospects for peace. Palestinian authorities rejected the US justification as “unjustified.”

The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on Sept. 8, with its high-level General Debate scheduled to begin on Sept. 22.