--- title: "UN General Assembly allows Abbas video address after US visa denial" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial" category: "Politics" area: "Middle East" published: "2026-09-18T01:05:30.920Z" source_reported: "2026-09-17T23:31:00.000Z" updated: "2026-09-18T01:05:30.920Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-18T01:00:22.346098+00:00" --- # UN General Assembly allows Abbas video address after US visa denial *152 member states voted in favour of the resolution, with three against.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Trust high (86) due to multiple independent outlets, official UN vote count, and quoted UN ambassador. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains why visa denial matters, includes quotes, specific figures, and next steps. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype low (15): language factual, no clickbait or exaggerated headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The UN General Assembly voted 152 in favour, 3 against, and 4 abstentions to permit Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the assembly via video link. - The United States denied Mahmoud Abbas a visa, preventing him from travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly. - US officials cited alleged payments to terrorists and violations of US law as reasons for the visa denial. - The resolution allows Abbas to deliver his speech virtually at the upcoming 81st UN General Assembly session. The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the 81st session via video link. The vote, which saw 152 member states in favour, three against, and four abstentions, followed the United States' decision to deny Abbas a visa. The US visa denial prevented Abbas from travelling to New York to attend the General Assembly in person. The United States stated that the reasons for the denial included alleged payments to terrorists and violations of US law. This decision means Abbas will deliver his speech virtually, as he did in a previous year. ## Disagreement on reasons for visa denial While the United States cited alleged payments to terrorists and violations of US law for denying Mahmoud Abbas a visa, Deutsche Welle reported that the US State Department notice cited alleged association with a terror group but did not elaborate further. Welt stated the denial was due to missing reforms and non-compliance with commitments. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific number of abstentions in the UN General Assembly vote, which was four. ## Who covered it Shares of the 10 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 10% (1) - Centre: 30% (3) - Right: 60% (6) 12 of 22 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-18T01:00:22.346098+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-18T01:30:29.071Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Cumhuriyet reported on the UN General Assembly vote allowing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the assembly via video link after the US denied him a visa. The report stated the resolution passed with 152 votes in favour, three against, and four abstentions, enabling Abbas to speak virtually. ### Centre - Deutsche Welle reported that the United States denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an entry visa, preventing him from attending the UN General Assembly in New York. The report noted that the US cited payments to terrorists and violations of US law as reasons for the denial. Deutsche Welle also mentioned that the PA submitted a resolution to the UN to allow Abbas to speak virtually, as he did the previous year. The Jerusalem Post highlighted that the UN resolution allows Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials to speak via video after the US visa denial, quoting an official stating that Abbas's policy of payments to terrorists cannot be ignored. The Times of Israel focused on the US rejection of Abbas's visa, forcing him to address the UN virtually again, and noted that a Palestinian official indicated the State Department cited alleged association with a terror group without further elaboration. ### Right - Welt reported that the US denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa for UN meetings, stating the reason was missing reforms and non-compliance with commitments, allowing him only to participate via video. Anadolu Ajansı reported that 152 countries backed a resolution calling on the US to reverse its decision barring the delegation from attending the 81st session in person. Arutz Sheva reported the UN vote to allow Abbas to address the General Assembly by video after the US visa ban, quoting Ambassador Danon saying Abbas cannot reward terrorism and demand international legitimacy. Daily Sabah noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would take the UN podium while the Palestinian leader was denied a visa again. i24NEWS reported the UN approved Mahmoud Abbas's video address after the US visa denial, stating the resolution received an overwhelming majority with only three dissenting votes: the US, Israel, and Paraguay. Sapo reported that the majority of UN members approved Palestine's participation by videoconference after the US denied the visa to its president and government officials. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 4 - unknown: 12 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Haber7](https://haber7.com/dunya/haber/3660529-abd-mahmud-abbasa-vize-vermemisti-bmden-yeni-karar-geldi) — The US Had Denied Mahmoud Abbas a Visa: A New Decision Has Come From the UN. - [SIC Notícias](https://sicnoticias.pt/mundo/2026-09-17-onu-autoriza-participacao-da-autoridade-palestina-por-videoconferencia-na-assembleia-ec6b42b2) — UN Authorizes Participation of the Palestinian Authority by Videoconference in the Assembly - [Norge IDAG](https://idag.no/mahmoud-abbas-nektes-visum-pga-terrorstotte/19.53684) — US: Mahmoud Abbas Denied Visa over Terror Support - [RNN Red Nacional De Noticias](https://rnn.com.do/onu-aprueba-que-palestina-participe-en-la-asamblea-general-a-traves-de-videoconferencia) — UN Approves Palestine’s Participation in the General Assembly Through Videoconference - [Welt](https://welt.de/politik/ausland/article6aac639bb1857e86757a5747/mahmud-abbas-usa-verweigern-palaestinenserpraesident-visum-fuer-un-treffen.html) — Mahmoud Abbas: United States Deny Palestinian President Visa for UN Meetings - [Correio da Manhã](https://cmjornal.pt/mundo/detalhe/onu-aprova-participacao-da-palestina-na-assembleia-geral-por-video-conferencia) — UN Approves Palestine's Participation in the General Assembly by Video Conference - [Noticias ao Minuto](https://noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/3053367/medio-oriente-onu-aprova-participacao-da-palestina-na-assembleia-por-video-conferencia) — UN Approves Palestine's Participation in the Video Conference Assembly - [Sapo](https://executivedigest.sapo.pt/medio-oriente-onu-aprova-participacao-da-palestina-na-assembleia-por-video-conferencia) — Middle East: UN Approves Palestine's Participation in the Video Conference Assembly - [Anadolu Ajansı](https://aa.com.tr/en/world/un-general-assembly-backs-palestinian-participation-abbas-to-address-session-by-video/4060606) — UN General Assembly Backs Palestinian Participation; Abbas to Address Session by Video - [Arutz Sheva](https://israelnationalnews.com/news/433339) — UN votes to let Abbas address General Assembly by video after US visa ban - [Jerusalem Post](https://jpost.com/international/article-909007) — UN allows Abbas, senior Palestinian officials to again speak via video after US denies visa - [Daily Sabah](https://dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/netanyahu-to-take-un-podium-while-palestinian-leader-denied-visa-again) — Netanyahu to take UN podium while Palestinian leader denied visa again - [Cumhuriyet](https://cumhuriyet.com.tr/dunya/abd-vize-vermedi-bm-genel-kurulu-ndan-mahmud-abbas-karari-2538641) — US Denies Visa: UN General Assembly Resolution on Mahmoud Abbas - [Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market Cap](https://cryptocurrency.com.tr/152-countries-reject-us-move-to-block-palestinian-un-participation-381674) — 152 countries reject US move to block Palestinian UN participation - [Crypto Briefing](https://cryptobriefing.com/152-countries-reject-us-move-to-block-palestinian-un-participation) — 152 countries reject US move to block Palestinian UN participation - [El Comercio](https://elcomercio.pe/mundo/oriente-medio/la-onu-aprueba-que-palestina-participe-en-la-asamblea-general-por-videoconferencia-ultimas-noticia) — UN Approves Palestine’s Participation in the General Assembly via Videoconference - [JDN - חדשות](https://jdn.co.il/news/2730555) — Israel Objected but the UN Approved: Abbas Will Address the General Assembly via Recorded Video - [i24NEWS](https://i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/palestinian-territories/artc-un-approves-mahmoud-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial) — UN approves Mahmoud Abbas video address after US visa denial - [robertocavada.com](https://robertocavada.com/la-onu-aprueba-que-palestina-participe-en-la-asamblea-general-a-traves-de-videoconferencia) — UN Approves Palestine’s Participation in the General Assembly Through Videoconference - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/f298e89312de5457) — Abbas allowed to address UNGA via videolink - [The Times of Israel](https://timesofisrael.com/us-rejects-abbass-entry-visa-forcing-him-to-again-address-un-virtually) — US rejects Abbass entry visa forcing him to again address UN virtually - [Deutsche Welle](https://dw.com/de/usa-verweigern-palaestinenserpraesident-mahmud-abbas-die-einreise-visum/a-79307984) — USA: Door for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Remains Closed ## Questions **Why was Mahmoud Abbas denied a visa by the United States?** The United States denied Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the UN General Assembly in person. Reasons cited by US officials included alleged payments to terrorists and violations of US law. Some reports also mentioned alleged association with a terror group, missing reforms, and non-compliance with commitments. **What was the outcome of the UN General Assembly vote?** The UN General Assembly voted 152 in favour, 3 against, and 4 abstentions to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the assembly via video link. This resolution enables him to deliver his speech virtually. **Has Mahmoud Abbas been denied a visa by the US before?** Yes, this is not the first time the United States has denied Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the UN General Assembly. Reports indicate he was also prevented from travelling to New York for the assembly in a previous year, forcing him to address it virtually. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "UN General Assembly allows Abbas video address after US visa denial", https://mediabias.news/politics/un-general-assembly-allows-abbas-video-address-after-us-visa-denial