- Washington similarly denied visa to then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when he sought to address UN General Assembly in 1988
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes committed in Gaza, is preparing to take the podium at the UN General Assembly in New York, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose people are facing genocide, is unable to travel to the city due to Washington's visa restrictions.
As it did last year, the US administration has once more denied Abbas a visa, preventing him from attending the UN General Assembly in person. As a result, Abbas is expected to address the General Assembly by video conference again this year.
Under the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement, the US is required to allow representatives of member and observer states to enter New York.
However, the US has denied visas to Abbas and his delegation for two consecutive years, violating its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.
As it did during the era of Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat, Washington has used its status as the UN host country to exert political pressure, imposing severe restrictions on visas, transit permits and the size of Palestinian delegations.
In 1988, the US denied a visa to then-Palestinian leader Arafat when he sought to address the UN General Assembly.
While a leader accused by the ICC of "using starvation as a method of warfare and deliberately targeting civilians" is given a place at the UN podium, the host country, the US, is denying the same opportunity to the legitimate Palestinian leader whose people are being killed.
The US decision comes as violence by Israeli occupiers who have seized Palestinian land and by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has escalated in recent months.
Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, has stepped up illegal land seizures of Palestinian land, while violence has intensified since October 2023.
Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC, to address UN General Assembly
The ICC issued arrest warrants on Nov. 21, 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. The warrants, issued following an application by the ICC prosecutor's office, constitute a binding obligation for more than 120 countries that are parties to the Rome Statute.
The US, which hosts UN headquarters, however, is not a party to the Rome Statute and is hosting in New York a suspect wanted by the international court.
Netanyahu is therefore set to address the UN General Assembly this year, as he did last year.
Protests expected during Netanyahu's speech
Dozens of diplomats walked out of the UN General Assembly hall as Netanyahu took the podium during the September 2025 session, leaving much of the chamber empty during his speech.
Outside, demonstrators opposed to Israel's attacks on Gaza gathered in Times Square to protest Netanyahu and Israel.
This year, diplomats from several countries are again expected to stage a diplomatic boycott by walking out of the chamber during Netanyahu's speech, while mass protests are also expected across New York during the summit.
'Double standard'
The contrasting treatment in New York has also raised questions about the Western world's frequently invoked concept of a "rules-based international order."
Western governments, including the US, have faced criticism for refusing to recognize ICC decisions involving Netanyahu, despite having previously used mechanisms ranging from intelligence sharing to pressure on third countries to support efforts to enforce the ICC warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war.
Civil society organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly called for Netanyahu, who is subject to an ICC warrant, to be arrested.
Türkiye takes steps towards Interpol Red Notice against Netanyahu
Alongside the ICC proceedings, Türkiye has also sought to activate international mechanisms against those responsible for crimes in Gaza, taking concrete steps toward having an Interpol Red Notice issued for Netanyahu and other officials.
A Red Notice potentially exposes a wanted individual to arrest across Interpol's 196 member countries, restricting Netanyahu's freedom of movement and leaving him with only a limited number of routes where he has specific diplomatic assurances.
Western countries fail to enforce ICC warrant against Netanyahu
The ICC warrants, however, have not been enforced in practice, with critics attributing what they describe as double standards among Western countries that are parties to the Rome Statute.
During his trips to the US, Netanyahu has flown through the airspace of Rome Statute parties France, Italy and Greece despite the court's warrant, with those countries failing to fulfill their obligations toward the ICC.
Netanyahu's visit to Hungary in April 2025 also took place with a special guarantee from the government of then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he would not be arrested.
Netanyahu's plane to land in New Jersey
Netanyahu's aircraft is reportedly set to land at Newark Airport in New Jersey rather than at an airport in New York, for his trip to the US for the UN General Assembly.
Asked whether the ICC arrest warrant would be enforced if Netanyahu came to New York for the UN General Assembly meetings in September, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said: "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that's what we will do, but we won't be writing our own laws to that end."
The New York mayor also said: "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He's a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court."
