{"id":48404,"date":"2026-05-23T12:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=48404"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:36:10","slug":"palestinian-un-ambassador-drops-bid-for-vp-of-general-assembly-following-us-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/23\/palestinian-un-ambassador-drops-bid-for-vp-of-general-assembly-following-us-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestinian UN Ambassador Drops Bid for VP of General Assembly Following US Threats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Permanent<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Permanent observer for the state of Palestine Riyad H. Mansour speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on February 18, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by Lev Radin\/Pacific Press\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Palestinian vice presidency at the General Assembly would not change power realities on the ground, but it would normalize Palestinian statehood claims… That is precisely what the United States is attempting to block.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephen Prager<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 22, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations<\/a> withdrew his bid to become a vice president of the UN General Assembly on Thursday following threats from the Trump administration<\/a> to strip the visas of the entire Palestinian delegation, according to NPR.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palestinian envoy, Riyad Mansour, has been an outspoken critic<\/a> of Israel\u2019s actions toward Palestinians<\/a>, particularly since the beginning of the genocidal war in Gaza<\/a>, which he said has entailed \u201cthe collective punishment of over two million Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Platner, El-Sayed Embrace Warning That They Are \u2018Direct Threat to the US-Israel Relationship\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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He has been Palestine\u2019s permanent UN observer for more than two decades and had earlier this year planned to run for president of the General Assembly, though he bowed out<\/a> following US pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian reported<\/a> that on Tuesday, the US State Department<\/a> sent a diplomatic cable to the US embassy in Jerusalem instructing it to pressure the Palestinian Authority (PA)\u2014the governing body of the occupied West Bank\u2014to withdraw its bid for one of the 21 vice presidencies of the General Assembly as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Assembly vice presidents have a role in setting the body\u2019s agenda and filling in when the president is absent. The UN is scheduled to hold elections amongst Assembly members on June 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, has condemned the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. His remarks come as outrage grows over Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir\u2019s treatment of the Sumud Flotilla activists while in\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/qsfcT0vAMr<\/a><\/p>— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>