Palestine Ambassador to Zimbabwe Slams US Visa Ban on President Abbas Ahead of UNGA 81
By Desire Tshuma
HARARE — The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Zimbabwe, H.E. Dr. Tamer Al-Massri, has condemned the decision by the United States government to deny entry visas to 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 described the move as a hostile attempt to silence the victims of ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing and systematic war crimes committed by Israel.
According to the Embassy, this is the second consecutive year that 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.
“As host country to the United Nations, the United States bears binding obligations under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement to facilitate, not obstruct, the access of accredited representatives and heads of delegation to UN premises,” Dr. Al-Massri said.
He said 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.
The Ambassador warned that 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.
“Silencing the victim while sheltering the aggressor renders the host nation fully complicit in suppressing truth and justice on the world stage,” he said.
The Embassy has called on member states, the UN Secretary-General and the international community to speak plainly against what it called a pattern of exclusion, which sets a dangerous precedent for the future of multilateral diplomacy itself.
“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,” Ambassador Al-Massri said.
