Staff Writer
The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Zimbabwe, H.E. Dr Tamer Al-Massri,(pictured) has condemned the United States Government’s decision to deny entry visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the official Palestinian delegation ahead of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York.
Ambassador Al-Massri said the decision amounted to an attempt to prevent Palestinian representatives from addressing the international community at a time when, he said, Palestinians were facing ongoing atrocities.
In a statement, Ambassador Al-Massri described the decision as “hostile” and said it sought to silence the victims of what he characterised as genocide, ethnic cleansing and systematic war crimes allegedly committed by Israel.
“For the second consecutive year, the United States has barred the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people from appearing before the very body established to give every nation a voice,” Ambassador Al-Massri said.
He argued that, as the host country of the United Nations, the United States had obligations under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement to facilitate access to UN premises for accredited representatives and heads of delegation.
“Refusing visas to Palestine’s leadership is a breach of that Agreement and in defiance of the spirit and letter of the UN Charter, which affirms the sovereign equality of all member and observer states and guarantees a platform for every people to address the community of nations,” he said.
Ambassador Al-Massri further accused the United States of creating an imbalance in the international diplomatic process by restricting the Palestinian delegation while allowing Israel to maintain a prominent platform at the United Nations.
He said the situation risked undermining efforts to hold parties accountable for alleged violations of international law.
“While the voices of those enduring documented atrocities are forcibly suppressed, the perpetrators of these crimes are provided a prominent global platform to distort reality, evade accountability and perpetuate aggression with impunity,” Ambassador Al-Massri said.
“Silencing the victim while sheltering the aggressor renders the host nation fully complicit in suppressing truth and justice on the world stage,” he added.
The Palestinian envoy called on UN member states, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the broader international community to speak out against what he described as a pattern of exclusion.
He warned that the dispute could set a precedent with wider implications for multilateral diplomacy and participation in the UN system.
“We call on member states, the UN Secretary-General and the international community to speak plainly against this pattern of exclusion, which sets a dangerous precedent for the future of multilateral diplomacy itself,” Ambassador Al-Massri said.
Despite the visa dispute, Ambassador Al-Massri said Palestine would continue to seek representation at the General Assembly and ensure that the Palestinian position was heard internationally.
“The Palestinian people will not be silenced. Palestine will be represented at this General Assembly, whatever obstacles are placed in its path, and the world will continue to hear its voice,” he said.