The UN General Assembly Agrees With Palestinian President Abbas To Deliver Virtual Speech

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the UN General Assembly. (PBB/Cia Pak)

JAKARTA - The UN General Assembly has voted in the majority to certify a resolution allowing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his virtual address at a world leaders meeting next week after the United States banned him from entering the country to prevent him from attending the UN General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, New York.

The resolution - adopted in a 145-to-5 vote with six abstain countries - expressed concern and regret over the US's decision to ban 80 top Palestinian Authority officials and stated that the US may have violated the UN Headquarters Agreement, a charge Washington denies, quoted from The Times of Israel September 19.

The resolution states President Abbas will be allowed to send a previously recorded video statement to the conference, along with other sessions from the next week of the UN General Assembly's next week where leaders of countries around the world usually address the agency.

Five countries that refuse include the United States of Israel and Paraguay. There are also six countries that declare abstain, including Albania and Hungary. Indonesia is one of the countries that provides support.

The Trump administration took the move in protest against Western countries' plans to recognize the Palestinian state at a conference at the UN General Assembly on Monday, which President Abbas hopes to attend.

It is known that state leaders have been allowed to address the UN General Assembly virtually in recent years, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the general rule is that speeches must be delivered in person, so the General Assembly considers it necessary to adopt a resolution that provides an exception for Abbas to speak virtually this year.

The #UNGA resolution allowing the President of the State of #Palestine to deliver his General Debate speech via a pre-recorded statement during High Level Week has been adopted with a huge majority of #UN member states voting in favor. https://t.co/R58cHZXn8w pic.twitter.com/qTyLLnDkti

— Rami Ayari (@Raminho) September 19, 2025

The #UNGA resolution allowing the President of the State of #Palestine to deliver his General Debate speech via a pre-recorded statement during High Level Week has been adopted with a huge majority of #UN member states voting in favor. https://t.co/R58cHZXn8w pic.twitter.com/qTyLLnDkti