Overview

• The UN General Assembly voted 145–5, with six abstentions, to let Mahmoud Abbas address next week’s leaders’ meeting by video after the United States denied him a visa.
• The resolution also authorizes Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials to join UN meetings by video for the next year if travel to the United States is blocked.
• Washington said it denied or revoked visas for Abbas and about 80 Palestinian officials, with a US diplomat citing failures to meet Oslo commitments as the rationale.
• Portugal announced it will recognize the State of Palestine starting Sunday, and reports indicate France, Canada, Belgium and possibly the United Kingdom plan recognitions during the UN week.
• Days earlier, the Assembly adopted the New York Declaration backing a two-state outcome without Hamas by a 142–10–12 vote, drawing opposition from Israel and the United States and sharp criticism from Israel’s government.