The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has overwhelmingly approved a resolution allowing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his address virtually at the upcoming annual meeting of world leaders. The decision comes after the United States revoked Abbas's visa, preventing him from traveling to New York.

The resolution, adopted by a vote of 145-5 with 6 abstentions, expresses "concern and regret" over the U.S. decision to deny visas to Abbas and 80 other top Palestinian officials. It also suggests that the U.S. may have violated the UN Headquarters Agreement, which requires the host country to allow heads of state and government to travel to New York for diplomatic work. The U.S. denies these charges.

India voted in favor of the resolution. The U.S. and Israel were among the five countries that voted against the resolution.

The resolution states that Abbas will be allowed to send a pre-recorded video statement to the conference and any sessions of the UN General Assembly's high-level week. While leaders have been allowed to address the UNGA virtually in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person speeches are generally the norm. The General Assembly deemed it necessary to pass a resolution to make an exception for Abbas this year.

The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of around 80 Palestinian officials last month, accusing the Palestinian leadership of undermining peace efforts. The Trump administration reportedly took this step in protest of plans by Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state at a UN General Assembly conference. Abbas had hoped to attend a meeting next week called for by France and Saudi Arabia aimed at advancing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia reportedly plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

The U.S. opposes these efforts, claiming that the promise of statehood has emboldened Hamas and made it more difficult to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was against Palestinian statehood before the October 7, 2023, attack and now asserts that it would reward the militant group.