Stand with Palestine: Against Exclusion and Occupation

The Visa Denial and the UN Response

The United States denied a visa to Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, preventing him from attending the United Nations General Assembly in person.

The dispute is closely linked to the 1947 UN–US Headquarters Agreement, under which the host country is required to facilitate access to UN Headquarters for representatives of Member States.

In response, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to allow President Abbas to address the Assembly by video, with 152 countries voting in favour, 3 against and 4 abstaining.

The contrast is stark: the United States prevented the President of the State of Palestine from attending the General Assembly in person, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was permitted to enter the United States and address the UN despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

This raises a fundamental issue concerning equal treatment, access to international institutions and respect for international law: the United Nations cannot be subject to blackmail by the United States, which arrogates to itself the right to disregard the aforementioned agreement by preventing the representative of the Palestinian people from entering, whilst the person subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court was allowed to enter.

A clear stance must be taken in the face of such arrogance: the United Nations should either move the venue of the meetings or enforce compliance with the agreement.

The Reality on the Ground

Across Palestine, more than a thousand checkpoints and countless gates control access to cities, villages and communities. These crossings can be closed and reopened by the occupying authorities, often leaving people unable to move freely between their own communities.

Palestinian cities and villages are increasingly subjected to conditions of confinement and isolation.

This is only a glimpse of what Palestinians experience every day: political exclusion and isolation on the international stage, alongside genocide, occupation, restrictions on movement and the fragmentation of Palestinian communities on the ground.

The EL will not look away.

We will continue to amplify Palestinian voices, stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and call for respect for international law, equal treatment and the rights of the Palestinian people.

#FreePalestine